MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently made a visit to the US, may now be seeking to drag Iran into war, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS.

When asked if the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, would affect Hamas-Israel talks on a ceasefire for the Gaza Strip, the envoy said: "We don’t know; it’s hard to say."

"Right now, it’s crucial to make sure that Haniyeh’s assassination is investigated. We don’t know why Nenahyahu decided to carry out the attack after returning from the United States. Perhaps, Netanyahu wants Iran to enter the war. Perhaps, he wants the Americans to stand by his side against Iran. Notably, attacks on both Beirut and Tehran took place on the same day," the Palestinian ambassador stressed.

Earlier, Hamas reported Haniyeh's death in an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran, where he had attended the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Al Hadath TV channel reported that Haniyeh had been killed in a direct missile strike. The Al Mayadeen TV channel said, citing a source, that the missile had been fired "from another country." Mousa Abu Marzook, deputy chief of the Hamas political bureau, vowed that Haniyeh’s killing would not go unanswered.

The Israeli prime minister set off on a visit to the US on July 22. While in Washington, he addressed the US Congress and held separate talks with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Later, he met with ex-President Donald Trump in Florida. On July 27, Netanyahu decided to return home earlier than planned because of an attack on the Golan Heights.