MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. The Israeli attack that killed the Hamas Political Bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, may destabilize the situation in the region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned.
"We think that such actions are aimed against attempts to bring peace to the region or that they may even destabilize further the already tense situation," Peskov said.
Earlier, the Palestinian radical movement Hamas said its political leader Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli raid on his residence in Tehran after attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Al Hadath television reported that Haniyeh was killed as a projectile hit his residence. Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Politburo Mousa Abu Marzook has warned that this assassination will not go unanswered.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) refused to comment on the killing of Haniyeh to CNN. The Israeli prime minister’s office instructed ministers not to speak on the death of Haniyeh, the Jerusalem Post reported. Similar instructions were issued to Knesset members, of Israeli lawmakers, the newspaper added.
Ismail Haniyeh held senior Hamas posts since 2004. In 2007-2014, he headed the one-party Palestinian government and led the Political Bureau of the movement since 2017. The politician took part in negotiations on resolving the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and releasing Israeli hostages. He was involved in talks on the Palestinian issue in previous years as well. In September 2022, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.