<ul><li><keyword id="19900599" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Israel" source="keywords">Israel</keyword> has reportedly killed the top <keyword id="19900598" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hamas" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hamas" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hamas">Hamas</keyword> leader <keyword id="19944483" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ismail-Haniyeh" source="keywords">Ismail Haniyeh</keyword> in Iran’s Tehran.</li><li>Israel on Tuesday revealed that it has eliminated <keyword id="19925799" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hezbollah" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hezbollah" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hezbollah">Hezbollah</keyword>'s senior military commander <keyword id="22610873" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fuad-Shukr" source="keywords">Fuad Shukr</keyword>.</li><li>Here are some of the notable <keyword id="20508874" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="targeted-killings" source="keywords">targeted killings</keyword> or alleged assassinations by Israel over the years – both confirmed and unconfirmed.</li></ul> Israel has reportedly killed<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/ismail-haniyeh-assassination-who-was-haniyeh-and-what-was-his-role-within-hamas/articleshow/112160692.cms"> Ismail Haniyeh</a>, a top Hamas leader in Tehran, Iran while he was visiting the country for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He had reportedly met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday. While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination which resulted in the death of Haniyeh and his bodyguard, Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have confirmed that he has been killed. The IRGC in a statement said Haniyeh was killed in "a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran". <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112156862" title="One of Hamas' top leaders has been killed in Iran, according to reports" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> According to Israel, Haniyeh was responsible for the brutal October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, which left over a thousand people dead and resulted in several people being taken hostage. This came just hours after The Israeli military confirmed that it eliminated Hezbollah's senior military commander Fuad Shukr. According to Israel, Shukr was responsible for the rocket attack on Golan Heights which killed 12 children playing in the ground. Shukr had a $5 million bounty on him from the United States as he reportedly played a “central role” in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 US military personnel. <h2>Israel's history of targeted killings</h2> From operations such as Wrath of God to individual targeted attacks to kill key enemy leaders, Israel is notoriously aggressive against foreign threats. While the country’s agencies have themselves confirmed some of these killings, some have been attributed to them by others. Here're some major ones: 1. Saleh al-Arouri the deputy leader of Hamas, was killed in Beirut in an Israeli airstrike in January this year, marking a significant blow to Hamas leadership. 2. Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in Syria in a suspected Israeli airstrike in December 2023. 3. In May 2021, as part of the Operation Guardian of the Walls, Hamas commander Mohammed Abdullah Fayyad was killed in an air strike allegedly by the Israel Air Force. 4. A senior Hamas military commander, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh who was one of the founders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades was assassinated in Dubai in 2010. 5. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, another senior Hamas military commander was reportedly assassinated in Dubai in 2010. 6. Yahya Ayyash, A Hamas bombmaker, nicknamed "The Engineer", was assassinated by a booby-trapped cell phone in Gaza in 1996. 7. Gerald Bull, a Canadian scientist working on the Iraqi supergun project was killed by Israeli agents in Brussels in 1990. 8. The notable assassinations by the country also include the operation Wrath of God, which took place from 1972 to 1992 and was aimed at targeting individuals responsible for the Munich massacre. For those unaware, during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Germany, eight members of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team and took nine others hostage, who were later killed after a failed rescue attempt. As part of the operation, Israel is believed to have killed over ten people over the next two decades. This also resulted in the death of a civilian in Norway. Also read: <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112160692" title="Ismail Haniyeh assassination: Who was Haniyeh and what was his role within Hamas?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"><payload><![CDATA[seealso]]></payload></div> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112176052" title="The killing of a top Hamas leader in its backyard is &amp;#39;humiliating&amp;#39; for Iran, experts say" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"><payload><![CDATA[seealso]]></payload></div>

Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh to "The Engineer" Yahya Ayyash — List of Israel’s targeted killings over the years

<keyword id="20047722" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Beirut" source="keywords">Beirut</keyword> [Lebanon], August 1 (ANI): Amid escalating tensions in the region, <keyword id="19949899" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Embassy" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Embassy" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Indian Embassy">Indian Embassy</keyword> in <keyword id="19935844" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lebanon" source="keywords">Lebanon</keyword> has advised Indians to avoid all non-essential <keyword id="22624039" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="travel-to-Lebanon" source="Orion">travel to Lebanon</keyword>. They have been advised to exercise caution, restrict movements and remain in contact with Indian Embassy in Beirut. Taking to X, the Indian Embassy in Lebanon stated, "In view of the recent escalations in the region, <keyword id="524730" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-nationals" source="Orion">Indian nationals</keyword> are advised to avoid all <keyword id="1858711" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="non-essential-travel" source="Orion">non-essential travel</keyword> to Lebanon. All <keyword id="22624040" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-nationals-in-Lebanon" source="Orion">Indian nationals in Lebanon</keyword> are advised to exercise caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with <keyword id="22219204" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Embassy-of-India-in-Beirut" source="Orion">Embassy of India in Beirut</keyword> through their email id: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or the emergency phone number +96176860128." Tensions have further escalated after the rocket attack at Golan Heights, allegedly fired by <keyword id="19925799" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hezbollah" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hezbollah" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hezbollah">Hezbollah</keyword> killed 12 children. In response to the attack at Golan Heights, The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (local time). Fuad Shukr, the "most senior Hezbollah military commander," was killed in the Israeli strike, the IDF said in a statement. Shukr sat on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah's top military body, and was considered to be the head of its strategic division. Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, he has been managing Hezbollah's attacks against Israel, including the deadly strike in Majdal Shams over the weekend that killed 12 children, according to the military.The IDF says Shukr was "responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs" and for the terror group's "force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel," as reported by The <keyword id="19944485" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="times-of-israel" source="keywords">Times of Israel</keyword>. "Eliminated: Fuad Shukr "Sayyid Muhsan," Hezbollah's Most Senior Military Commander and Hassan Nasrallah's Right-Hand Man," the IDF said in a post on X. "Shukr has directed Hezbollah's attacks on the State of Israel since October 8th, and he was the commander responsible for the murder of the 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years. He was also responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and UAVs," it added. Houthis and Hamas have both condemned the Israeli strike in separate statements, CNN reported. "While we affirm our solidarity with Lebanon and its resistance in the face of Zionist arrogance, we appreciate the great role of Hezbollah in supporting the Palestinian people and triumphing over their oppression, at a time when the Arab regimes have abandoned their role and responsibility in defending the Palestinian people and confronting crimes," a statement read from the Houthi political wing, also known as Ansar Allah. In another statement, Hamas declared "full solidarity with our brotherly Lebanon and the brothers in Hezbollah." Hamas also said it considers the Israeli strike a "dangerous escalation."Israel had blamed Hezbollah for the rocket attack at Golan Heights on Sunday. However, Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack.

India advises its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon amid escalating tensions in the region

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Israel says it carried out "pre-emptive" airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.</li><li>The Israel Defense Forces said Hezbollah had been preparing to launch attacks on Israel.</li></ul>Israel launched what it called "pre-emptive" airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the early hours of August 25 after it said it had identified plans for an attack on its territory.The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/IDF/status/1827527034400047151">Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said</a> it believed the Lebanese militant group had been preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory."In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in an update shared on X.The IDF later said that Hezbollah had launched over 150 projectiles from Lebanon toward Israeli territory.It added that 100 Israeli Air Force fighter jets had "struck and eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels."Hezbollah has said that it carried out the "first phase" of a planned attack on Israel in response to the killing of Fuad Shukr, one of the group's top commanders, according to Lebanese media.The group said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets and targeted 11 military sites. It added it had completed its operations for the day.Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, responded by declaring a 48-hour state of emergency across the nation.Fears have been building over an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in recent months.Gallant said on Sunday that Israel would seek to avoid "regional escalation" and that Israel would work with the US "to ensure Israel's defense as well as regional stability."

IDF launches airstrikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah says it fired 320 Katyusha rockets at Israel in major escalation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Iran has warned that Hezbollah may hit "broader and deeper targets" in Israeli territory.</li><li>Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN said Hezbollah may not "restrict itself solely to military targets."</li></ul>Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN has said that Hezbollah will likely respond to Israel's assassination of one of its top military commanders with "broader and deeper targets" in Israeli territory."Until now, Hezbollah and the regime have, in an unwritten understanding, practically adhered to certain limits in their military operations, meaning that confining their actions to border areas and shallow zones, targeting primarily military objectives," the mission said in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://en.irna.ir/news/85556585/Hezbollah-will-hit-deeper-targets-in-occupied-Palestine-Iran">statement</a> on Friday night, per Iranian state news.But it seems an Israeli attack Tuesday on Dahieh, a suburb in Lebanon's capital of Beirut, which took out the senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, may have changed this."We anticipate that, in its response, Hezbollah will choose both broader and deeper targets, and will not restrict itself solely to military targets and means," the mission said in its statement.The mission told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-hezbollah-targets-after-israel-beirut-strike/">CBS News</a> that such targets would be within Israeli territory.Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.<div type="image" title="Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on July 30 in this screen grab from a video obtained by Reuters." height="2142" width="1558" msid="112249114" hostid="261" sizebytes="43278"></div>Fears have been mounting over an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.Israel said it had launched the strike on Beirut in response to an attack that killed 12 youths in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Israel said Hezbollah was behind the attack.Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/1/hezbollah-chief-says-response-to-israeli-assassination-inevitable">said</a> at the funeral of Fuad Shukr that the war with Israel had "entered a new phase" and that Israel had "crossed red lines," Al Jazeera reported.The militant group was looking at a "real, studied" response to the attack, he added.Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, said on Thursday that "while we prefer to resolve hostilities without a wider war, we remain fully prepared for any scenario."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-says-israel-will-exact-heavy-price-any-aggression-toward-it-2024-07-31/#:~:text=We%20are%20prepared%20for%20any,said%20in%20a%20televised%20statement.">warned</a> that "Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena."Hezbollah has been launching strikes against Israel in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas since the latter's October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel.Israel has struck back hard against Hezbollah, targeting its commanders and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Iran warns that Hezbollah will likely hit non-military targets in Israeli territory in response to Israel's strike on Beirut 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Israel conducted a strike in Beirut on Tuesday that targeted a Hezbollah commander.</li><li>The strike was carried out in retaliation for a deadly rocket attack over the weekend, the IDF said.</li></ul>Israel said it conducted a strike in Beirut on Tuesday targeting a Hezbollah commander who it deemed responsible for a deadly rocket attack in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights over the weekend.The retaliatory strike in the Lebanese capital targeted Fuad Shukr, a senior advisor to Hezbollah's secretary-general Hasan Nasrallah who has a $5 million US government bounty on his head. It was not immediately clear whether he survived the strike.Video and images from the scene <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/1818329263956750712">revealed extensive damage</a> to at least one multi-story building, debris in the streets, and smoke rising above the city. There are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/30/world/israel-gaza-war-lebanon-hezbollah/c8e7a8af-5cb9-5df1-9f0d-7d2b43b649e1?smid=url-share">reportedly dozens of casualties</a>."The IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians," the Israeli military said in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/idfofficial/9254">statement</a>.<div type="image" title="A view shows damage after what security sources said was a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on July 30." height="832" width="1280" msid="112147694" hostid="261" sizebytes="106804"></div>"At the moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines. If any changes will be made, an update will be released," it added.Israel and the US blamed Iran-backed Hezbollah <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-golan-heights-soccer-rocket-hezbollah-explained-97d4377713a209cf130b7b0f3476e1c4">for a rocket attack</a> that killed 12 children and teenagers in Majdal Shams, a town located in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday. The Lebanon-based militant group denied involvement.Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged regular cross-border fire since Israel declared war on Hamas following the October 7 massacre, but Saturday's attack in Majdal Shams raised concerns that the situation could <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wider-war-hezbollah-could-unleash-unprecedented-missile-barrage-against-israel-2024-7">spiral into an all-out confrontation</a>, with Israeli officials vowing a harsh response."Hezbollah crossed the red line," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/yoavgallant/status/1818337146731737419">said</a> Tuesday.Shukr, the man who was targeted in Tuesday's strike in Beirut, serves on Hezbollah's Jihad Council, which is its highest military body, according to the US State Department's Rewards for Justice program.<div type="image" title="Damaged vehicles are seen after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on July 30 in this screen grab from a video." height="2135" width="3803" msid="112147693" hostid="261" sizebytes="274762"></div>Shukr also "played a central role" in the October 1983 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-beirut-barracks-bombing-risk-clash-israel-hamas-hezbollah-iran-2023-10">bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks</a> in Beirut, which killed more than 240 American service members, the US said. The State Department has offered a reward of $5 million for credible information on Shukr, who was marked a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" in 2019.It's still unclear what effects Tuesday's strike will have on the routine exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah and whether it will lead to an escalation in hostilities. It marked the second time the IDF has targeted Beirut since October 7.John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, said on Monday that Israel has "every right to respond" to Saturday's attack in Majdal Shams but downplayed concerns about an all-out conflict."Nobody wants a broader war, and I'm confident that we'll be able to avoid such an outcome," he told reporters.

Israel tried to kill a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut who has a $5 million US bounty on his head

Tehran [Iran], July 31 (ANI): <keyword id="19900598" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hamas" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hamas" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hamas">Hamas</keyword> Political Bureau chief <keyword id="19944483" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ismail-Haniyeh" source="keywords">Ismail Haniyeh</keyword> has been killed in an attack in Iran's capital, Tehran, the <keyword id="19925328" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Islamic-Revolutionary-Guard-Corps" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps">Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps</keyword> said on Wednesday, Press TV reported. In a statement to Meher News Agency the IRGC said that Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed after their residence was targeted in Tehran. "With condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine and the Islamic nation and the combatants of the Resistance Front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning (Wednesday) the residence of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran, and following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred," the statement read. Earlier on Tuesday, Iran's Supreme Leader, Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, held a meeting with <keyword id="2482921" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hamas-Chief" source="Orion">Hamas chief</keyword> Ismail Haniyeh. Khamenei took to social media platform X to share pictures of his meeting with Haniyeh. In a post on X, Khamenei's office stated, "Imam Khamenei met with Mr. Ismail Haniyah, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, and Mr. Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement." In its reply to the post, the <keyword id="240155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Israel-Defence-forces" source="Orion">Israel Defence Forces</keyword> posted "Did someone ask for a photo-op of Iran and the leaders of their proxies? Iran's Khamenei met with Hamas' Ismail Haniyah and the Islamic Jihad's Ziyad-al Nakhalah -- two of the terrorist organizations who have been attempting to kill Israelis using weapons made and funded by Iran. We can only assume the topics of conversation included how to spend more Iranian money to kill Israelis while wishing Hezbollah's Nasrallah could join them." Ismail Haniyeh who is based in Qatar, was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Iranian President-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a Press TV report. Earlier in April, three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an air strike carried out by the Israeli Air Force on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed. The three sons of the Hamas leader, who were confirmed dead by the Israeli forces, were identified as Amir Haniyeh, a cell commander in the Hamas military wind and Mohammad and Hazem Haniyeh." In a post on X, IDF on April 10 stated, "IAF aircraft struck Amir Haniyeh, a cell commander in the Hamas military wing, and Mohammad and Hazem Haniyeh, both Hamas military operatives, in central Gaza today. The IDF confirms that the 3 operatives are the sons of Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas' political bureau." Meanwhile, the Israel Defence forces also announced that they had eliminated Fuad Shukr "Sayyid Muhsan", Hezbollah's Most Senior Military Commander. According to the IDF, Shukr was Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah's Right-Hand Man Shukr and directed Hezbollah's attacks on Israel. IDF said he was responsible for the killing of 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel earlier, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years. The IDF said Shukr was also responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and UAVs.

Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirm

The <keyword id="19910503" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Israel-Defence-Forces" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Israel Defence Forces" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Israel Defence Forces">Israel Defence Forces</keyword> (IDF) on Thursday announced that <keyword id="19900598" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hamas" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hamas" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hamas">Hamas</keyword> military wing commander Mohammed Deif had been killed in an <keyword id="19952187" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="airstrike" source="keywords">airstrike</keyword> in the southern <keyword id="19906532" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gaza-Strip" source="keywords">Gaza Strip</keyword> on July 13. In a post on X, IDF stated, "We can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated." <div type="twitter" handle="IDF" handlename="IDF" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1818926099432161437"></div>The Israeli military said that it obtained intelligence confirming his death in the past few hours. Deif was targeted in a strike at Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa'a Salameh's compound in Khan Younis area on July 13, The Times of Israel reported. A day later, the IDF confirmed the death of Salameh. However, it did not have final information on Deif. The IDF believed that its intelligence indicated that Deif visiting the compound belonging to Salameh was highly accurate and the two Hamas military officials were together in the building that was hit with several heavy munitions, according to The Times of Israel report. Israeli fighter jets had patrolled the building for half a day before conducting the strike after the IDF had early indications that Deif was with Samaleh. The two jets were in the air above the site. After the military received confirmation that Deif had arrived at the compound, the jets were given the order to target, which was conducted within just a few minutes, according to The Times of Israel report. Israel's confirmation regarding Deif comes a day after Hamas' political bureau chief <keyword id="19944483" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ismail-Haniyeh" source="keywords">Ismail Haniyeh</keyword> was killed in an attack in Iran's capital, <keyword id="20024069" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tehran" source="keywords">Tehran</keyword>, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday, Press TV reported. In a statement to Mehr News Agency, the IRGC said that Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed after their residence was targeted in Tehran. "With condolences to the heroic nation of <keyword id="20038596" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Palestine" source="keywords">Palestine</keyword> and the Islamic nation and the combatants of the Resistance Front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning (Wednesday) the residence of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran, and following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred," the statement read. Ismail Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Iranian President-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a Press TV report. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister <keyword id="19904826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Benjamin-Netanyahu" source="keywords">Benjamin Netanyahu</keyword> said that his nation has delivered "crushing blows" to enemies in the last few days, CNN reported. He made the remarks hours after the deaths of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior <keyword id="19925799" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hezbollah" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hezbollah" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hezbollah">Hezbollah</keyword> commander Fuad Shukr. In his address to the nation, Netanyahu did not claim Israel's responsibility for Haniyeh's killing. Notably, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind Haniyeh's assassination. "Three weeks ago, we attacked the military chief of Hamas, Mohammad Deif. Two weeks ago we attacked the Houthis, in one of the farthest attacks the Air Force has carried out. Yesterday we attacked the military chief of Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr," the Israeli PM said. Netanyahu said Israel is facing "challenging days" and it will "settle the score" with anyone who harms the country. "These are challenging days. There are threats From Beirut. We are ready for any scenario. We are prepared," CNN quoted him as saying. "We'll settle the score with anyone who harms us, anyone who massacres our children, anyone who murders our citizens, anyone who hurts our nation, blood is on his head," Netanyahu added. He further affirmed that Israel will keep fighting until the aims of the war are achieved. Netanyahu referenced previous calls he has received to end the war in Gaza, saying, "I did not give in then and I am not giving in today." Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced a national day of mourning on Wednesday over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, as he condemned the killing as a "cowardly act and dangerous development," The Times of Israel reported. Palestinian flags were flown at half-staff for the day, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported, as Palestinian factions announced a general strike and called for demonstrations in the West Bank.

Another Hamas military leader Muhammad Deif killed in airstrike, Israel Defence Forces announces

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Israel appeared to carry out two significant assassinations this week in Lebanon and Iran.</li><li>IDF jets killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon shortly before a Hamas leader was blown up in Iran.</li></ul>Israel claimed responsibility earlier this week for a deadly strike that killed a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon, and just hours later, it became the leading suspect in a sophisticated scheme that assassinated Hamas' political chief in Iran.The stunning, back-to-back killings mark two significant intelligence successes for Israel, and demonstrate its ability to secretly track its enemies and strike them with cold precision, Middle East security and counterterrorism experts told Business Insider.But the strategic repercussions of these strikes remain to be seen, as the dual assassinations have also sparked fears of large-scale retaliation from Iran and its proxies, like Hezbollah and Hamas, which could kill more Israelis and plunge the region into even more conflict.<h2 id="0768e516-6c2d-42bc-9422-85c294aae606">A strike in Lebanon</h2>On Tuesday, Israeli fighter jets carried out a strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-tried-killing-top-hezbollah-commander-beirut-with-us-bounty-2024-7">killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr</a>.<div type="image" title="A photo taken on July 30 shows the destroyed top floors of an eight-story building following an Israeli military strike on Beirut's southern suburb." height="2976" width="4464" msid="112230539" hostid="261" sizebytes="1615736"></div>Shukr served on Hezbollah's Jihad Council, its highest military body, and was a senior advisor to the group's secretary-general, Hasan Nasrallah. The US government also held him responsible for the 1983 <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-beirut-barracks-bombing-risk-clash-israel-hamas-hezbollah-iran-2023-10">bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks</a> in Beirut and had placed a $5 million bounty on his head.The Israel Defense Forces blamed Shukr for a deadly rocket attack in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that took place just days prior and said it killed him in retaliation.Jonathan Lord, formerly a political military analyst at the Pentagon, said the operation to kill Shukr was likely informed by combat intelligence. Israel found where he was at a specific time and took the shot when it had the opportunity."Their ability to track these individuals in fairly real time, find out where they are, where they're going to be, and then to be able to launch a surgical strike against them — it's an impressive capability," said Lord, the director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security think tank.<div type="image" title="A man waves a Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral procession of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1." height="1446" width="2170" msid="112230538" hostid="261" sizebytes="219728"></div>Bruce Hoffman, a counterterrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the Beirut strike demonstrated precision targeting that left minimal collateral damage; three other people were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/31/hezbollahsays-top-commander-fuad-shukr-killed-in-israel-strike-on-beirut">reportedly</a> killed, including two children.<h2 id="d38b8905-5ce1-4266-a05b-271148abf25b">'Reputation is everything'</h2>Hours following the Beirut strike, a more seismic incident occurred: Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas' political wing, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ismail-haniyeh-top-hamas-leader-killed-in-iran-2024-7">was killed in Iran</a> shortly after he attended the swearing-in of its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.The circumstances surrounding Haniyeh's death were initially unclear, and it was first thought that he died from an airstrike. However, The New York Times <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/world/middleeast/how-hamas-leader-haniyeh-killed-iran-bomb.html?smid=tw-share">reported</a> on Thursday that he was killed by an explosive device that had been smuggled months ago into the guesthouse where he was staying in Tehran and remotely detonated once it was clear Haniyeh was in the room.Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for Haniyeh's assassination and promised revenge.<div type="image" title="A man waves a Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral procession of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1." height="1446" width="2170" msid="112230538" hostid="261" sizebytes="219728"></div>Israel has not publicly acknowledged its involvement, but Israeli officials — including the leader of the country's vaunted Mossad intelligence agency — have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-03-2024-fc2394531bef8238e86879dd98ea435b">vowed to hunt down Hamas leaders</a> responsible for the October 7 massacre wherever they are.The Mossad has a long history of carrying out Israeli assassination operations outside the country. Axios later <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/08/01/haniyeh-assassination-mossad">reported</a> that it was Mossad agents who planted the explosive device in the Tehran guesthouse, which is run by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and detonated it from Iranian soil."Astonishingly, Israel had the assets and the capability to gain access to what should have been one of the most highly defended and secured targets in Iran," Hoffman said.Adding to the significant announcements this week, Israel on Thursday said it killed <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-mohammad-deif-mastermind-hamas-attack-israel-palestine-gaza-2023-10">Mohammed Deif</a>, the commander of Hamas' military wing, in a mid-July strike in Gaza. Hamas did not immediately confirm his death in the strike, which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-war-mohammed-deif-9524d7d5c8f7321f4d8c931fde664556">reportedly</a> killed dozens of Palestinians.<div type="image" title="An anti-Israeli billboard hangs at Palestine Square in Tehran on July 31." height="1428" width="2148" msid="112230537" hostid="261" sizebytes="482676"></div>Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/yoavgallant/status/1818930330230812684">said</a> Thursday that "the operation was conducted precisely and professionally" by the IDF and Israeli security forces.Lord, the former Pentagon analyst, said tactical intelligence is "definitely a strong suit of the Israelis," but he stressed that this must be weighed against some of the apparent breakdowns that the country's elite intelligence community faced leading up to the October 7 attacks.Israel's political, intelligence, and security apparatuses came under immense scrutiny following the deadly massacre as the public tried to make sense of how the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/idf-israel-military-failed-stop-hamas-attacks-country-troubles-deeper-2023-10">worst breach of the country's defenses</a> since the 1973 Yom Kippur War could occur.Top officials <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/idf-elite-intelligence-unit-saw-signs-hamas-prepared-attack-report-2023-11">missed and ignored several warnings</a> that Hamas was preparing a major attack, believing such an event couldn't happen and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-probe-said-to-find-pre-oct-7-intel-shouldve-been-enough-to-thwart-hamas-attack/">failed to respond</a> to signs of an imminent attack. In April, Israel's military intelligence chief <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68873227.amp">resigned</a> and said his directorate "did not live up to the task we were entrusted with."Hoffman said Israel's recent string of targeted killings is its attempt to reestablish the dominant reputation of its intelligence community and restore its deterrent capability so it can make good on future threats and appear stronger in the face of regional adversaries like Iran."Israel understands that reputation is everything in the Middle East," Hoffman said. "So gaining that back with this particular series of assassinations was absolutely pivotal."

Israel scored major intelligence wins in daring assassinations of Iranian proxy leaders 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Video footage shows Israel's Iron Dome air-defense system intercepting a number of rockets overnight.</li><li>The rockets were fired by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.</li></ul>Video footage shows Israel's Iron Dome air-defense system intercepting a number of rockets fired by Hezbollah overnight.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-iron-dome-partly-overwhelmed-if-hezbollah-war-us-official-2024-6">The Lebanese group has been exchanging strikes with Israel</a> since October in a show of support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been locked in conflict with Israel since its October 7 attacks on the country.The Israel Defense Forces said its air defenses intercepted most of the roughly 30 rockets they detected in the upper Galilee region in northern Israel overnight.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">An amazing clip from earlier tonight when Israel's Iron Dome batteries fired multiple Tamir interceptors at Hezbollah rockets targeting northern Israel. <a href="https://t.co/lcbIH9shwM">pic.twitter.com/lcbIH9shwM</a>— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeTruzman/status/1819901637890326699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote> Fears have been rapidly increasing over the potential for the conflict to spill over into a full-blown war.The past week saw tensions spike after an Israeli strike on Beirut on Tuesday killed the senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr.Following the attack, Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN warned that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-warns-hezbollah-may-attack-non-military-targets-in-israel-2024-8">Hezbollah's response would involve hitting "broader and deeper targets"</a> in Israeli territory and that the group would likely "not restrict itself solely to military targets and means."Unnamed US officials previously <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/20/politics/us-concerns-israel-iron-dome-hezbollah/index.html">told CNN</a> that an all-out war could see Hezbollah overwhelm at least some of Israel's Iron Dome batteries.<h2 id="6a00001a-a75c-476c-819b-e17e4fce3654">The Iron Dome</h2>The Iron Dome is a mobile missile defense system that is designed to stop rockets and drones launched from Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project.The system, which has been operational since 2011, has three main parts — the Tamir interceptor missile and its launcher, the ELM 2084 Multimission Radar, and a battle management and weapon control system, the CSIS says.Earlier this year, the system helped intercept a large-scale drone attack launched by Iran.Between 2011 and 2021, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-israel-defense-systems-weapons-in-action-2024-4">US contributed at least $1.6 billion</a> to the defense system.

Video shows Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system intercepting Hezbollah rockets overnight as fears over wider conflict mount

Tehran [Iran], August 4 (ANI): <keyword id="1175074" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Irans-Revolutionary-Guards" source="Orion">Iran's Revolutionary Guards</keyword> (IRGC) have said that <keyword id="113804" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hamas-leader" source="Orion">Hamas leader</keyword> <keyword id="19944483" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ismail-Haniyeh" source="keywords">Ismail Haniyeh</keyword> was killed by <keyword id="6355882" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Israel" source="Orion">Israel</keyword> using a short-range projectile with a warhead and plans to take revenge "at the appropriate time. The statement by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Saturday also accuses the "criminal government" of the United States of supporting the attack, which Iran blames on Israel. "This terrorist attack was designed and implemented by the Zionist regime (Israel) and supported by the criminal government of America," the IRNA news agency quoted the statement as saying. The statement by IRGC which was televised on the country's state media, came, three days after Haniyeh was killed at his accommodation in northern Tehran following his attendance at the inaugural ceremony of Iran's new president Masoud Pezeshkian. As per the statement, a rocket with a seven-kilogram warhead was used to target the residence of Haniyeh state media IRNA reported. It said the attack caused heavy devastation. The IRGC statement emphasised that it would "avenge blood of Haniyeh", adding that "the terrorist and adventurist Zionist regime would definitely receive severe punishment and a decisive response at appropriate time and in proper place." The Hamas leader and his bodyguard were killed in an Iranian government guest house in Tehran in the early hours of July 31. Haniyeh had gone to the Iranian capital to attend the inauguration of Iran's newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of the killing. Israel, which is at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has neither acknowledged nor denied killing Haniyeh. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led a public funeral ceremony for Haniyeh in Tehran on Thursday, before the coffin was transported to Doha, and threatened "harsh punishment" for Haniyeh's killing. Earlier on Wednesday, he also ordered Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader. Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Hanieyh's killing came hours after top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli air attack on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, on July 30 Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV as saying on Saturday that fighters of the Tehran-backed Lebanon group had targeted a building where Israeli soldiers gathered earlier in the day. Air raid sirens went off in 15 Israeli settlements, the Al Mayadeen TV channel reported. Hezbollah said it launched a barrage of Katyusha rockets towards the Beit Hillel settlement in northern Israel, claiming the attack was in response to Israel's targeting of civilians in Lebanon, according to a report in Al Jazeera. Videos showed Israel's Iron Dome defence system being activated over the area. Meanwhile, during a meeting in Doha, Iran's Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thcalled for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. They also discussed Iran's call for an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states over the assassination of the Hamas leader, IRNA reported.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by US-backed Israel; Vow revenge

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ismail Haniyeh, one of the top members of Hamas, was killed on Wednesday.</li><li>Iranian officials accused Israel of conducting the attack. Israel has not commented.</li></ul>Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the political wing of Hamas, was killed on Wednesday.Details are still emerging about exactly how he died. But one thing is clear — he was supposed to be safe.Haniyeh was visiting an ally, Iran. He was in the capital for the swearing-in of its new president, a high-profile public occasion.In the hours before he died he had audiences with the president and Iran's supreme leader.That proximity to power did not keep him alive — to the outrage of his Iranian hosts.<div type="image" title="Ismail Haniyeh (left) meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran" height="3336" width="4416" msid="112174920" hostid="261" sizebytes="488796"></div><h2 id="c552214f-4fb9-41af-91f0-440f0bf9129a">'Humiliating' blow</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ismail-haniyeh-top-hamas-leader-killed-in-iran-2024-7">Tasnim News</a>, an outlet with links to the authorities in Iran, said a guided projectile struck his dwelling in northern Tehran at around 2 a.m.Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Hamas and Iran blamed Israel. Israel didn't comment, but has carried out similar attacks before.According to Middle East and military experts, Haniyeh's death is a "humiliating" blow to Iran.Andrew Fox, a research <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://henryjacksonsociety.org/2024/07/10/major-ret-andrew-fox-joins-the-henry-jackson-society-as-new-research-fellow/">fellow</a> at the Henry Jackson Society, said the killing "sends a very clear message to Iran about Israel's ability to strike inside their borders."Fox said Haniyeh was of limited tactical significance as a target and could be easily replaced — but his loss still took a symbolic toll.<h2 id="a15ab7a0-d415-4e16-8c96-501278983e57">A history of attacks</h2>It wouldn't be the first time Israel has conducted military operations deep inside Iran.Israeli operatives gunned down Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, a high-ranking Egyptian member of Al-Qaeda, on the streets of Tehran in August 2020, four officials <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/world/middleeast/al-masri-abdullah-qaeda-dead.html#:~:text=Abdullah%20Ahmed%20Abdullah%2C%20who%20went,Laden's%20son%20Hamza%20bin%20Laden.">told The New York Times</a> at the time.In November 2020, a Mossad team killed Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian nuclear physicist said to be the leader of Iran's nuclear program.Ameneh Mehvar, a Middle East Regional Specialist with the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), said the latest attack reflected poorly on Iran.She called the killing "humiliating" and "damaging" to its image in the region.It "shows how deep Israel has likely infiltrated Iranian intelligence circles," she said.Farzan Sabet, a senior research associate at the Global Governance Centre and the Sanctions and Sustainable Peace Hub at the Geneva Graduate Institute, went further.He told BI that an "embarrassing security failure" like this would damage Iran's credibility among its allies and perhaps push it into a counterattack to save face."Tehran will likely feel pressure to retaliate in some form despite wanting to remain untouched by the Israel-Hamas war," he said.<h2 id="76feb6af-8a0f-44d5-92b7-d3f8d8a1cd6d">A new phase of brinkmanship</h2>Tensions between Israel and Iran were high even before Haniyeh's killing.Iran and Israel have for decades fought a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-israel-dragged-shadow-war-from-darkness-now-more-dangerous-2024-4">shadow war</a> of espionage and assassination.<div type="image" title="Palestinians carried a placard bearing the image of the leader of the militant Hamas group during a protest in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron" height="1333" width="2000" msid="112174914" hostid="261" sizebytes="251552"></div>Since Hamas launched terror attacks on Israel on October 7, groups allied with Iran — the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah — have targeted Israel, with attacks sometimes spilling over into neighboring countries and directly involving Iran.An exchange of attacks in April on an Iranian embassy in Syria and then a return attack on Israeli soil <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-iran-strike-isfahan-sends-strong-message-nuclear-experts-say-2024-4">marked an earlier escalation</a> that stopped short of further conflict.According to Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East Security at the Royal United Services Institute, the attack on Haniyeh represents a "new phase of brinkmanship" in the region."While it is not the first targeted assassination against a high-level figure within the so-called 'Axis of Resistance' at this juncture of intense tit-for-tat and a high-stakes geopolitical conflict, it will have ripple effects across the region," she told BI.Haniyeh's assassination and the recent killing of Hezbollah commander <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-tried-killing-top-hezbollah-commander-beirut-with-us-bounty-2024-7">Fuad Shukr</a> in Beirut will "galvanize" other Iran-backed armed proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, he said.This, he said, "creates a dangerous conflagration of threats to Israel and Western interests in the region, notably in the Red Sea, where the Houthis will likely escalate their attacks."Mehvar from ACLED, meanwhile, predicted an Iranian counterattack that was "harsher" but "proportionate," likely carried out with allies.Fox, of the Henry Jackson Society, foresaw "some kind of minor" escalation in rocket attacks from Iranian proxies in Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon, followed by a return to the earlier precarious status quo."They will not want to escalate to the point where the West steps in, as they did during the rocket attacks in April, which were also an embarrassing failure," he said.

The killing of a top Hamas leader in its backyard is 'humiliating' for Iran, experts say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Iran may conclude it needs to strike Israel with a larger salvo than it did in April.</li><li>Iran and its allies are seeking retaliation after two killings as the risk of a regional war grows.</li></ul>Iran has repeatedly vowed it will attack Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas' political leader in Tehran on July 31. Its main proxy, Hezbollah in Lebanon, has also vowed to join Iran to avenge Israel's killing of one of its most senior commanders, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut the day before.If Iran and its allies want to show Israel the killings have a cost, they will likely try to catch Israel's defenses off guard or to overwhelm them — suggesting an even larger and more dangerous confrontation than their April barrage.The killing of Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/killing-of-hamas-leader-humiliating-for-iran-experts-2024-7">a humiliation</a> for Iran and Israelis wait anxiously to see what form of revenge Iran may take. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Sunday that an attack could come within 24-48 hours. However, in a Monday briefing, Biden's national security team said it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/08/06/iran-attack-israel-biden-briefed-details">remains unclear</a> when exactly Iran and Hezbollah will attack.Iran directly attacked Israel for the first time in April, two weeks after Israel assassinated Iranian paramilitary commanders at an Iranian consulate annex in Damascus, Syria. That <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-intel-from-failed-revenge-missile-strike-on-israel-isw-2024-4">attack</a> consisted of over 300 drones and missiles. It was telegraphed days earlier and the overwhelming majority of the projectiles were tracked and intercepted by Israel with the help of the US, Britain, France and Jordan. Israel responded on April 19 with a single pinprick strike against the radar of an Iranian air defense system near Iran's Natanz enrichment facility."My sources suggest that the Iranian regime intends the attack to cause more surprise this time," Arash Azizi, senior lecturer in history and political science at Clemson University and author of "The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran's Global Ambitions" told Business Insider. "There are many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/08/iran-israel-war-hamas/679374/">internal debates</a> about this with some pushing against the idea of an attack or trying to keep it limited.""Iran is indicating that it wants to bring about a larger attack this time around," Azizi said. "It appears that this is definitely what some are pushing for, but they might still be outvoted in the National Security Council or pressured otherwise.""It's not clear how much damage Iran wants to bring with the attack and how much damage it can bring," Azizi added."This is part of what's being deliberated upon in Tehran right now."The Iran analyst also noted the upcoming Shiite pilgrimage of Arbaeen may influence Iran's timeline. Beginning on August 25 this year, the ritual sees millions of Shiite Iranian pilgrims traveling to Iraq's shrine city of Karbala, many of them on foot."I think it will have to be on a larger scale than the April attack because the Israeli strike was more significant," James Devine, associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Mount Allison University, told BI."If Iran wants to maintain deterrence, it has to scale up its responses to Israel's attacks," Devine said. "If the response stays the same, or is smaller, there is no reason for Israel not to escalate its attacks on Iranian targets and territory in the future."<div type="image" title="Israeli defenses like the Iron Dome were supported by US-fired interceptors during an Iranian barrage in April." height="1268" width="2000" msid="112328168" hostid="261" sizebytes="201634"></div><h2 id="212ec812-bc84-4913-aa65-697fd71adccd">Aiming for more damage</h2>Another risk is that the attack could be multi-directional. In addition to Hezbollah, Iran's other regional proxies, such as the Houthis in Yemen and the militias in Iraq and Syria are expected to join Tehran's attack. They supported Iran's April attack, albeit with limited strikes. The Houthis struck Tel Aviv for the first time <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deadly-houthi-attack-tel-aviv-forces-israel-rethink-drone-defenses-2024-7">using a drone on July 19</a>. Israel responded by bombing Yemen's Hodeidah port the following day."Hezbollah will likely play a more active role by firing several — but not many — guided ballistic missiles at Israeli targets in northern Israel, probably including some ballistic missile defense sites," Farzin Nadimi, a defense and security analyst and senior fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told BI. "The Houthis will probably continue to play a supporting role."Devine also believes the Houthis may participate in an attack alongside Iraqi militias but noted that Tehran has "remained clear that it does not want the situation to escalate into a regional war" and remains focused on deterrence."Nevertheless, they will likely want to structure the attack so it does more damage," Devine said. "Therefore, it may not be as telegraphed as the first. It may include parallel attacks from multiple directions and some closer launch points."Tehran may also restrict its attacks to military targets rather than civilian areas to reduce the risk the tit-for-tat strikes trigger an all-out war."It is also possible that an Israeli embassy somewhere will be targeted," Devine said. "Tehran has said the strike must be against Israeli territory, but embassies as we saw with the April crisis, are considered to be national territory by the Iranians. But this is just a guess on my part."Devine and Azizi are skeptical that Hezbollah, despite having its red line crossed in Beirut, would risk attacking Tel Aviv and<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wider-war-hezbollah-could-unleash-unprecedented-missile-barrage-against-israel-2024-7"> trigger a major retaliation</a> that would <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wider-war-hezbollah-could-unleash-unprecedented-missile-barrage-against-israel-2024-7">threaten Hezbollah's arsenal</a>, which consists of up to 150,000 surface-to-surface rockets and missiles."A Hezbollah strike in Tel Aviv killing significant numbers of civilians would quite possibly precipitate <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hezbollah-has-the-firepower-to-ambush-israeli-tanks-in-lebanon-2024-7">a full-out war on the Israeli-Lebanese border</a> — the sort of situation Iran has said it wants to avoid," Devine said.<div type="image" title="Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut in an attack that the group has vowed to avenge." height="1333" width="2000" msid="112328170" hostid="261" sizebytes="215846"></div><h2 id="ab0ded4d-27b9-4f01-8690-c244923e2f77">What happens next</h2>The scale of the Iranian attacks is drawing in the US military <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-deploys-more-warships-able-destroy-ballistic-missiles-counter-iran-2024-8">to play defense</a>, and it's increasingly possible that some Iran-backed militants could target US forces in the region during a large attack. On Monday, a rocket attack carried out by Iran-backed militias on Iraq's Ain al Asad Airbase <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/05/world/middleeast/iraq-us-troops-iran-attack.html">injured at least five American troops</a>."The fact that the regime has openly declared US complicity in the assassination of Haniyeh means that they're likely considering attacking US forces as well," Azizi said.How Israel would retaliate for any Iranian attack would likely depend on certain factors."If the coming Iranian attack causes Israeli casualties, they are likely to want to respond harshly," Azizi said. "But they might be restrained by the US and other sides whose priority is avoiding an all-out regional war."On the other hand, Israel may not necessarily wait until Iran strikes."It is also possible for Israel to conduct preemptive strikes on Iran before Iran gets to attack," Azizi said. "If Israel wanted to truly up the ante, it could strike Iranian refineries, which would cause a major crisis in Iran.""There is a chance that the IDF has already thought about these plans, especially since the new phase of hostilities began in April."Devine believes Israel's response will depend on the "amount of damage and casualties" any Iranian attack ultimately causes."Iran did very little damage the first time, so it is a very low bar to clear," Devine said. "If Iran is more aggressive than expected, or there is an accident, and there are significant civilian casualties, or Israel's defenses come off looking inadequate, Israel's response could be severe."An unprecedented Iranian attack could lead to an unprecedented Israeli response."Israel will likely try to retaliate more strongly than April 19, especially if they suffer casualties or a significant building is destroyed by Iran," The Washington Institute's Nadimi said."In that case, some of Iran's nuclear sites will likely be targeted as well."

You Searched For "Fuad Shukr" and got 12 results

Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh to "The Engineer" Yahya Ayyash — List of Israel’s targeted killings over the years

BI India Bureau

India advises its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon amid escalating tensions in the region

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IDF launches airstrikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah says it fired 320 Katyusha rockets at Israel in major escalation

Rebecca Rommen

Iran warns that Hezbollah will likely hit non-military targets in Israeli territory in response to Israel's strike on Beirut

Cameron Manley

Israel tried to kill a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut who has a $5 million US bounty on his head

Jake Epstein

Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirm

ANI

Another Hamas military leader Muhammad Deif killed in airstrike, Israel Defence Forces announces

ANI

Israel scored major intelligence wins in daring assassinations of Iranian proxy leaders

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Video shows Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system intercepting Hezbollah rockets overnight as fears over wider conflict mount

Nathan Rennolds

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by US-backed Israel; Vow revenge

ANI

The killing of a top Hamas leader in its backyard is 'humiliating' for Iran, experts say

Thibault Spirlet

A second Iranian attack on Israel would likely dwarf its first

Paul Iddon