Dead or alive? What has happened to Hamas targets on Benjamin Netanyahu's hit list as terrorist group's leader Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated in 'Israeli' airstrike

Iran's ultimate leader has vowed to inflict ‘severe punishment’ connected Israel aft nan governmental caput of Hamas was assassinated successful Tehran early yesterday.

Ismail Haniyeh, 62, was killed pinch a guided rocket ‘launched from wrong Iran’ successful a 2am onslaught that risks sparking an all-out location war.

Experts opportunity he was nan 4th deed connected an Israeli ‘kill list’ of Hamas leaders drawn up aft October 7, pinch only 2 still alive.

Hamas’s subject main Mohammed Deif, 58, was targeted successful a onslaught connected Khan Yunis past month, though his decease has not yet been confirmed.

The panic group’s lawman president Saleh Al-Arouri, 57, was killed by a drone successful Beirut successful January, while lawman subject commandant Marwan Issa, 59, died successful an aerial onslaught successful Gaza past March.

Meanwhile, nan leader of Hamas successful nan Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, 61, is hiding successful nan territory’s immense passageway network, while 68-year-old Khaled Mashal, caput of Hamas’s overseas governmental bureau, is live successful Doha, Qatar.

Yesterday’s strike, for which Israel has not claimed responsibility, is embarrassing for Tehran, coming consecutive aft nan inauguration of its caller president.

Only 12 hours earlier, Israel assassinated Fuad Shukr, nan subject leader of Hezbollah and different Iranian proxy, aft 12 Israeli Druze children were killed successful a rocket onslaught past weekend.

The Middle East is already dangerously unstable owed to nan warfare successful Gaza – wherever astir 40,000 person died – but now it risks spreading into a location conflagration.

Israel was past nighttime bracing for a multi-front consequence from Iran, which has proxies successful Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged to avenge nan decease of Haniyeh, saying it was ‘Tehran’s duty’.

‘With this action, nan criminal and violent Zionist authorities has paved nan measurement for its ain terrible punishment,’ nan ultimate leader said.

Haniyeh had been visiting Tehran for nan inauguration of president Masoud Pezeshkian connected nan time earlier his decease and joined successful chants of: ‘Death to Israel, decease to America.’

Mr Pezeshkian warned Israel it would ‘regret this cowardly killing’.

It was initially reported that nan Hamas governmental main was killed by a drone aliases aerial strike. But past nighttime section media claimed his chamber was targeted by a short-range Israeli-made Spike rocket launched from a building adjacent .

Haniyeh was killed pinch his bodyguard successful nan charismatic impermanent location of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards successful nan Shahran neighbourhood successful nan northbound of nan capital.

Iranian media reported that nan panic leader’s adjacent protection squad leaked accusation starring to his assassination.

The Iranian authorities is reportedly successful daze complete nan onslaught successful nan bosom of its ain territory. Ismail Khatib, Tehran’s curate of intelligence, precocious claimed to person ‘dismantled [the Israeli concealed service] Mossad’s infiltration network’, calling it a ‘turning point’ for nan ministry.

There are fears that Iran could usage proxies to deed Israeli embassies abroad. In Britain, the Community Security Trust urged members of nan Jewish organization to ‘keep gates and doors closed astatine each times’ and debar ‘congregating extracurricular communal buildings and events’.

Israeli premier curate Benjamin Netanyahu has not confirmed nan strike, pinch nan Israel Defence Forces saying it is conducting a ‘situation assessment’, but vowed his state was ‘prepared for each scenarios’.

Israelis were yesterday celebrating nan decease of 1 of their biggest enemies.

Amos Yadlin, ex-IDF intelligence chief, said location were now only 2 cardinal Hamas leaders near to termination aft Haniyeh’s death.

‘Israel is fundamentally implementing present nan Munich Olympics revenge that took astir a decade to assassinate each those who were progressive successful Munich 72 massacre,’ he added.

‘We are now 4 retired of six of nan apical leaders that person already been punished for what they person done for October 7.’

It is feared nan latest sidesplitting could derail hostage negotiations that appeared to beryllium edging towards a compromise. 

Haniyeh, based successful Doha, Qatar, was one of nan cardinal players successful nan November ceasefire and was heavy progressive successful talks.

Qatari premier curate Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said: ‘How tin mediation win erstwhile 1 statement assassinates nan negotiator connected different side?’

Major General Yadlin said nan onslaught mightiness ‘freeze nan negotiations’ but would make Hamas leaders realise Israel could travel for them next, which ‘will amended nan chances’.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said America was ‘not alert of aliases progressive in’ nan onslaught and that ‘nothing takes distant from nan value of getting to nan ceasefire’.