For the first time, Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has confirmed that the Israeli military was behind the killing of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran in July.
Katz made the revelation during a speech in which he also declared Israel’s intention to target the leadership of the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.
The Houthis, who have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel, are now marked as the next major threat in Israel’s ongoing regional military strategy.
Haniyeh was reportedly killed while staying in a building in Tehran, an attack widely attributed to Israel.
Katz’s statement came as part of a broader message about Israel’s future military actions. He indicated that Israel would continue to take decisive action against groups aligned with Iran, saying, “Just as we did with Haniyeh, [Yahya] Sinwar, and [Hassan] Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon, we will do so in Hodeida and Sanaa.”
The names Katz referenced are significant. Sinwar, who took over as Hamas’s overall leader following Haniyeh’s death, was killed in Gaza in October after a chance encounter with Israeli forces.
Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was killed in Beirut in September during Israel’s intensified military campaign against the Lebanese group, with whom it had been involved in frequent cross-border skirmishes since the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Katz’s speech also highlighted Israel’s plans to strike harder at the Houthis, who have escalated attacks on Israeli and international ships in the Red Sea since Israel began targeting Hamas in Gaza last year.
The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until the Gaza conflict ends.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned some progress in ceasefire talks with Hamas, but did not provide a timeline for when an agreement might be reached.
This comes after a senior Palestinian official revealed to the BBC that negotiations between Hamas and Israel are “90% complete,” although some key issues remain unresolved.
The Houthis’ involvement in the conflict escalated last October, when they began targeting Israeli interests and shipping lanes, pledging to continue until the Gaza war concludes.
In retaliation, Israel has launched several strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including ports and energy infrastructure in the capital, Sanaa.
Both the US and UK have also been involved in operations targeting Houthi military assets to safeguard international shipping.
On the ground in Gaza, the toll of the ongoing conflict continues to rise. As of the latest reports, Israeli attacks have killed 45,317 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
This figure includes 58 people killed in just the past 24 hours, with at least 11 of them dying in three separate Israeli airstrikes on the al-Mawasi area, which was designated by Israel as a “safe zone.” Israel, however, claimed that these strikes were targeting Hamas fighters.
The conflict, which began with Hamas’s brutal October 2023 attack on Israel, continues to be one of the deadliest in the region, with approximately 1,200 Israelis killed and over 250 taken hostage by Hamas.
In retaliation, Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, which has been ongoing for more than a year.
As tensions rise with the Houthis, Israel’s military strategy shows no signs of letting up, with Katz’s speech reaffirming that the country will target those aligned with Iran who are seen as threats to its security.
