Middle-East War Looms: Israel Kills Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah Commander

There are fears of all-out war in the Middle East after Israel assassinated Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in separate missile strikes. The assassinations come days after a missile strike in the occupied Golan Heights, that killed nearly a dozen Israeli civilians. Tensions are high in the region and in this post, we analyze the possibility of an all-out war.

Middle-East on Edge: Israel Kills Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah Commander in Separate Missile Strikes

The Middle East is on edge. After a Hamas terrorist strike in Israel in October last year, Israel went all out to attack Palestinian territories including Gaza, the West Bank, and Rafah. Despite the Hamas act being horrid, the Israeli Prime Minister was seen to harden his stance and unnecessarily inflict war on the Palestinian population. His actions were this year termed as "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" by the International Court of Justice, ICJ.

Missile Attack on Occupied Golan Heights

When a missile strike hit the occupied Golan Heights a few days ago, Israel blamed it on Hezbollah, despite Hezbollah denying involvement. Israel also said that it would strike in return but do it in a measured way as it does not want war with Hezbollah on its border with Lebanon. Hezbollah is also reported not to be looking to go into all-out war with Israel.

Israel's Missile Strikes Take Out Key Hamas and Hezbollah Leaders

Israel's promise of a reply has now materialized, as it confirmed that it killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon using a missile strike. The 'commander' - it turns out - is Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr, with images of the attack showing an apartment building in the aftermath of being struck by a missile.

In what seems a two-fold attack, Israel also killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh via a missile strike, striking a house he was in, in Tehran, Iran. Haniyeh was in Iran for the inauguration of the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran has since said that Israel will be punished for the act. Israel is known for its spy technologies, including the Pegasus Spyware, which it may have used to learn of Haniyeh's whereabouts in Tehran.

The Pegasus Spyware and Its Danger to the Freedom of Press and Dissidents

Pegasus has already inflicted damage as it was recently discovered that governments had used it to spy on members of the press and even other governments including top government leadership.

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Who was Ismail Haniyeh?

Haniyeh was a former assistant and close aide to the late Hamas cofounder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. He had grown up under Israeli occupation, shaping him to hate Israel. Haniyeh was a top Hamas political leader and was regarded as an "international terrorist" by the United States.

Haniyeh has been instrumental in Hamas politics, helping them defeat the Fatah movement in 2006 after it had been in power for over a decade. He also briefly served as the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in the same year.

In a 2006 interview, he told the BBC, “Don’t be afraid,... Hamas is a Palestinian movement, it is an aware and mature movement, one which is politically open in the Palestinian arena, and to its Arab and Islamic hinterland, and similarly open to the international arena.”

Haniyeh was also the head of Hamas in Gaza in 2019 and had been personally touched by the Israeli-Gaza war. The war had led to the deaths of 60 of his family members, including his nieces and nephews. He recently said, "Through the blood of the martyrs and the pain of the injured, we create hope, we create the future, we create independence and freedom for our people and our nation." [Source: Aljazeera]

Crisis in the Middle East: Tensions Escalate Amid Fears of All-Out War

The assassinations mark an eruption in escalations in the Middle East at a time when there were negotiations between Israel and Hamas to end the Israeli-Hamas war. The risk though, is that today's events will lead to an attack by Hamas on Israel, in an unmeasured way, provoking Israel's reply and consequent attacks and so on.

Killing of Hezbollah Commander Feared Likely to Stoke All-Out War Between Israel and Hezbollah

Even more, the assassination of a Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr will also provoke an attack by Hezbollah, drawing the region into all-out war. An Israeli attack on Hezbollah would also mean its backers, Iran would get involved in the conflict at a time when Israel's missile defenses are reportedly weakened.

Israeli missile defense systems were said to have failed a few days back - when the attack against a soccer field in Golan Heights took place - killing a dozen people. As such, Israel will rely on its allies such as the United States for arms and also for support.

United States' Stance on a War in the Middle-East

The U.S., however, is uninterested in all-out war in the Middle East and is trying not to interfere. There has also been growing condemnation against Israel in America, for its war against the Palestinians. Again, what Hamas did on October 7 was wrong but it should have never meant a genocide against the Palestinian population.

No Israel.. No More Violence.. Give Palestinians Their Country Back!

What Hamas did was wrong and I would like to condemn the acts of violence they undertook and to condemn terrorism as a whole

Mania AfricaDavid Mania