Joe Biden says assassination of Ismail Haniyeh 'doesn't help' ceasefire talks after Hamas leader was 'wiped out in Israeli strike while he slept'

Joe Biden has said that nan assassination of Ismail Haniyeh 'doesn't help' ceasefire talks aft nan apical Hamas leader was 'wiped retired successful an Israeli strike'.

Haniyeh was killed during a sojourn to Tehran, Iran's capital, connected Wednesday aft an explosive instrumentality erupted wrong a heavy guarded guesthouse wherever he was staying for nan statesmanlike inauguration.

Iran and its friends person pointed nan digit of blasted astatine Israel, but nan state is yet to declare immoderate work for nan decease of nan elder official.

Biden said he was 'very concerned' astir nan rising tensions successful nan Middle East, adding: 'We person nan ground for a ceasefire. He [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] should move connected it and they [Hamas] should move connected it now'.

The president's comments were nan first connected Haniyeh's assassination since nan panic group's main was killed.

'It doesn't help,' Biden told reporters precocious connected Thursday, erstwhile asked if Haniyeh's assassination ruined nan chances for a ceasefire agreement.

Biden besides said he had a nonstop speech pinch Netanyahu earlier connected Thursday.

'The President discussed efforts to support Israel's defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to see caller protect US subject deployments,' nan White House said successful a statement.

Biden reaffirmed his committedness to Israel's information against each threats from Iran, including its 'proxy violent groups' Hamas, Hezbollah and nan Houthis. 

Ensuring Washington's committedness to Israel's defense, Biden stressed nan value of ongoing efforts to deescalate broader tensions successful nan region. 

Israel's tensions pinch Iran and Hezbollah person fanned fears of a widened conflict successful a region already connected separator amid Israel's battle connected Gaza which has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.

It was reported connected Thursday, that nan explosive utilized to termination Haniyeh was smuggled into nan guesthouse 2 months earlier his assassination.

The explosive was said to person been covertly placed wrong nan building, contempt nan analyzable being protected by nan Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, sources told nan New York Times. 

A bodyguard was besides killed arsenic a consequence of nan blast which Iranian officials and Hamas said Wednesday was caused by Israel.

After Haniyeh was killed, it was believed he had died from a rocket onslaught - but it has now been reported that a lapse successful Iran's defences meant assassins were capable to covertly works and hide nan explosive for respective weeks earlier it would beryllium triggered. 

But questions astir really specified a catastrophic breach of information was made stay unanswered pinch Middle Eastern officials admitting that nan execution of specified an onslaught would person taken months of surveillance and planning.

While Iran has vowed 'revenge' for Haniyeh's death, it is not expected his sidesplitting will lead to a melodramatic escalation of nan location conflict. 

'What this offers is simply a caput connected a metallic platter,' Dr Andreas Krieg, subordinate professor of Security Studies astatine King's College London, told MailOnline. 

'Netanyahu tin opportunity this is nan extremity of nan organisation. And that's beautiful overmuch arsenic adjacent arsenic Israel will ever get to defeating Hamas.

'But that tin only activity if Israel says now 'we're consenting to participate ceasefire talks.''

'All sides don't want each retired war. All sides want to support their reputation. Nobody wants to suffer face. These group are replaceable.

'All sides will find a measurement successful this tit-for-tat escalation to respond successful measurement beyond a definite ceiling... each sides person been pushing nan period but connected each accounts they person ever tried not to breach it.'

Haniyeh's assassination came astatine a clip of rising tensions successful nan Middle East.

On Saturday, 12 children and young group were killed aft a onslaught connected a shot section successful nan Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. 

Israel blamed Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah activity and vowed 'severe' retaliation, though Hezbollah has denied immoderate involvement.

On Tuesday, conscionable hours earlier nan sidesplitting of Haniyeh, Israel killed elder Hezbollah commandant Fuad Shukr, who it said was down nan onslaught connected nan Golan Heights, successful a targeted aerial onslaught successful Beirut.

The latest bloodshed successful nan decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered connected October 7 erstwhile Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, sidesplitting 1,200 and taking astir 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

In its 10-month-old run of bombardment and offensives successful Gaza, Israel has killed immoderate 39,480 Palestinians and wounded much than 91,100 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, whose count does not differentiate betwixt civilians and combatants.

More than 80% of nan organization of 2.3 cardinal person been driven from their homes, nan immense mostly crammed into shelter camps successful nan south-west area of nan territory, pinch constricted nutrient and water.