THE MURDER of a top Hamas leader tells the world that Israel can kill its terrorist enemies anywhere, a former general said.
Retired Israeli Brigadier Amir Avivi told The Sun that the attack that eliminated Ismail Haniyeh is proof of Israel’s formidable capabilities and unwavering desire to defeat its enemies.
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He said: “Israel will not stop until every leader who was involved in this massacre pays for what they did.
“It obviously sends a message that Israel can reach any terrorist leader anywhere.
“Even if it takes a while, we will eventually be able to reach them.”
Haniyeh and only one bodyguard were killed in a suspected Israeli precision missile attack as they slept in a military veterans building in Tehran on Monday.
Israeli Mossad assassins could easily have eliminated Haniyeh while he was leading ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, but they seemed to watch and wait until he set foot on the territory of archenemy Iran before eliminating him.
Israel’s intelligence arm, the Shin Bet, somehow discovered exactly which room he was staying in, with a score on the block.
A guided missile was then fired through his bedroom window and detonated inside at around 2am, killing him and his aide instantly.
Haniyeh had been one of Israel’s main targets since the start of the war in October, with Netanyahu promising to eliminate all of Hamas.
The leader of the terrorist group in the Strip, Yahyah Sinwar, or “Bin Laden of Gaza”, will be another important target.
As did Mohammed Deif, one of Sinwar’s main lackeys who helped orchestrate the horrific massacre of October 7th.
Amir told The Sun: “This is not the first time we have seen Israel operating at the heart of the Iranian regime.”
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles against Israel, in a dangerous escalation of tensions in the region.
But Israeli defenses destroyed almost all of the rockets and unleashed their own hyper-precise attack that hit an air base near Isfahan, in central Iran.
In the same month, an alleged Israeli attack on an embassy in Damascus, Syria, killed several high-ranking IRGC officials.
Less than 24 hours before Haniyeh was killed on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander, was killed in another “targeted” attack.
The attack hit south of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed group is based.
Amir said: “We saw the precise attack on the Hezbollah Chief of Staff yesterday.
“He was the chief of staff. He is one of the founders of Hezbollah, probably the most prominent military figure in the organization.
“He conducted all operations. He is the closest advisor to [Hassan Nasrallah].”
The former general added: “The ability to actually know exactly where he is in the heart of Beirut… really shows what intelligence Israel has and the operational capabilities to carry out such a targeted attack.”
Fears of all-out war in the Middle East are rising following Israeli attacks, as Iran vows to seek revenge for the attack on its capital.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it is “Tehran’s duty” to seek “revenge for the blood of Ismail Haniyeh.”
Hamas also vowed to seek “dire consequences” for the attack that killed its political leader, responsible for conducting negotiations outside the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah, another Iranian-backed ally in the “axis of resistance,” has promised to stir up anti-Israel sentiment among its allies.
And the Houthis, based in Yemen, said it marks a “major escalation” in the Middle East.
Analysts previously told The Sun that Iran’s network of bloodthirsty proxy groups across the region is “primed and ready” to unleash a second front in the ongoing conflict.
And tensions in the region are already rising after almost ten months of brutal and bloody war in the Gaza Strip.
Around 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the months since the October 7 massacre, which saw Hamas kill 1,200 people in Israel.
Of the 250 Israelis taken hostage, many are still in Gaza and around a third are considered dead.
Experts have already warned The Sun about the start of war in Lebanon as Israel faces Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been preparing for a possible invasion by the group – and preparing to defend against one – for years.
The militant cult is thought to have between 30,000 and 50,000 fighters and between 120,000 and 200,000 missiles, rockets, attack and reconnaissance drones.
They have been exchanging retaliatory attacks with Israel for months across the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Amir told The Sun: “Realistically speaking, Israel only has one choice in Lebanon, and that is a full-scale attack.
“I don’t see any resolution. I don’t see Hezbollah withdrawing voluntarily.”
He warned of rising tensions in the region: “We need to contain them in the Middle East and not let them spread.
“We need to drive Hezbollah out of South Lebanon and we need to hit very hard with all its capabilities throughout Lebanon. Israel can do it.
“The readiness of the Northern command is very, very high. They are ready to attack at any moment.”
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Who was Ismail Haniyeh?
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
Haniyeh, one of the terrorist group’s founding members, steadfastly represented the bloodthirsty clan for decades, even after the deaths of his own children.
The 62-year-old was responsible for conducting Hamas’ political operations from Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Born in a refugee camp in northern Gaza, he led the group during several wars with Israel and served as a key power player for the cult.
In the last ten months, he was responsible for conducting ceasefire negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the USA.
He survived an Israeli assassination attempt in 2003, before the IDF killed his mentor – Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin himself – in 2004.
At the time, outside a hospital in Gaza, the man who would become one of Hamas’ top leaders appealed to people not to cry, but to focus on revenge.
In 2006, he was working as the leader of Hamas in Gaza, a position now occupied by Israel’s number one enemy – Yahya Sinwar.
He moved to Qatar in 2017 when he was named the group’s new political leader.
The group was trying to change its image at the time, as it made bids across the international scene to gain more influence.
Haniyeh represented Iranian-backed terrorism in Qatar, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran and Egypt.
His ruthless approach to advancing Hamas’ agenda would even nullify the murder of his own children and grandchildren years later.
In April this year, an Israeli airstrike killed three of Haniyeh’s children and four of his grandchildren.
In June, Hamas said his sister and her family were also killed in an Israeli attack.
Haniyeh simply said at the time: “We will not give in, no matter the sacrifices.”
He added that he lost dozens of family members during the years of war between Hamas and Israel.
The terror chief received news of his children’s deaths during a hospital visit. After hearing the news, he continued to visit the building normally.
Haniyeh spent time in Israeli prisons in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1988, he was among the founding members of Hamas, working under Yassin.
His assassination constitutes a fundamental blow to Hamas – with leaders dubbing it a “treacherous Zionist attack” on Wednesday morning.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
