Israel’s Minister of Defence, Israel Katz, has publicly confirmed for the first time that his country was responsible for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. He also issued a warning that the Yemen-based Houthi group will face a significant retaliation.
During an event honoring personnel from the Defence Ministry on Monday evening, Katz stated that Israel has “dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil” and intends to inflict similar damage on the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which he described as the last remaining threat.
Katz emphasized, “When the Houthi terrorist organization launches missiles at Israel, I want to send a clear message: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have compromised Iran’s defense capabilities, and we have undermined the Assad regime in Syria.”
He further declared that Israel would target Houthi strategic infrastructure and eliminate their leaders, drawing parallels to previous actions against Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah. “We will carry out these operations in Hodeidah and Sanaa,” he added.
In recent months, the Houthis have conducted multiple missile strikes against Israel, including a recent attack on Tel Aviv using what they referred to as a hypersonic ballistic missile. This incident resulted in minor injuries to over a dozen individuals when the missile bypassed Israeli defense systems and hit a public park in Jaffa.
Haniyeh was killed on July 31 during a visit to Tehran for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Reports from Iranian state media indicated that the Hamas leader and his bodyguard lost their lives when an “airborne guided projectile” struck a military veterans’ residence in northern Tehran around 2 a.m. local time.
Iranian and Palestinian officials attributed the assassination to Israel, although Israeli authorities had not confirmed or denied their involvement at that time.
The assassination of Haniyeh incited widespread anger in Palestine and raised concerns about a potential escalation of regional conflict, as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to deliver “harsh punishment” in response.
In October, Iran retaliated by launching a series of missiles targeting several Israeli cities, claiming it was in response to the killings of its allied leaders, including those from Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Israeli military reported that only a “few” impacts were recorded in central and southern Israel, while the country’s emergency services reported two injuries from falling debris in the Tel Aviv area.
No Israeli deaths were reported. Palestinian authorities said a man was killed by falling debris in the occupied West Bank.
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