Iran on Tuesday (Dec 24) denounced what it termed Israel’s “brazen admission” of getting killed former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this 12 months, accusing the nation of getting carried out a “heinous crime” and defending its missile-strike response.
“This brazen admission marks the primary time the Israeli regime has brazenly confessed to its accountability for this heinous crime,” mentioned Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani in a letter addressed to the UN secretary-general.
On Monday, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz acknowledged his nation was accountable for the killing, the primary time an official admission had been made.
Haniyeh, who was seen as main Hamas’ negotiation efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, was killed in a guesthouse in Tehran on Jul 31, reportedly by an explosive gadget that had been positioned by Israeli operatives weeks earlier than.
Till Monday, Israel had by no means admitted to killing Haniyeh, however Iran and Hamas had attributed the Hamas political chief’s demise to the nation.
In October, Iran mentioned it fired 200 missiles at Israel, an obvious response to the killing. Israel mentioned a lot of the projectiles had been intercepted both by its personal air defenses or by allies’ air forces.
On Tuesday, Iranian UN Ambassador Iravani termed Israel’s killing of Haniyeh a “heinous terrorist act,” including that Katz’s assertion confirmed Iran was justified in putting Israel in retaliation.
“It additionally reaffirms the legitimacy and legality of Iran’s defensive response on Oct 1, 2024, in addition to Iran’s constant place that the occupying and terrorist regime of Israel stays essentially the most critical risk to regional and worldwide peace and safety.”
On Sep 27, Israel killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a Beirut bombing, which was adopted by the killing of Haniyeh’s successor Yahya Sinwar on Oct 16 in Gaza.
Israeli officers say Sinwar masterminded the Oct 7, 2023, assault by Hamas on Israel, which sparked the continued struggle within the Gaza Strip, which has killed tens of 1000’s and diminished a lot of the Palestinian territory to rubble.
