The leading cause of death for terrorists is quickly becoming airstrikes.
A senior military commander of Hezbollah who was responsible for the recent rocket attack on Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, which killed 12 Israeli Druze youth, was himself killed on Tuesday. Israel Air Force fighter jets targeted Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Shukr, a member of Hezbollah for over 30 years, was a military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
In other good news, the chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an airstrike in Iran early Wednesday morning. He is the highest-ranking Hamas official to die since the war in Gaza began. In April, DX reported on the death of Haniyeh’s three sons from Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza.
“My father survived four assassination attempts during his patriotic journey, and today Allah has granted him the martyrdom that he always wished for,” said Haniyeh’s son, Salam. Let it be a lesson to everyone: be careful what you wish for. Since Hamas leaders, members, and followers cherish martyrdom so much, perhaps more airstrikes can be arranged, making many wishes come true.
Geert Wilders, a right-wing party leader in the Netherlands, welcomed the killing of Haniyeh, writing, “Good Riddance.”
Not surprisingly, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was quick to distance the Biden administration from any involvement in the bold act, widely being attributed to Israel despite the fact that no one has claimed responsibility for the airstrike.
“This is something we were not aware of or involved in,” Blinken said in an interview with Channel News Asia, reported the Associated Press.
The New York Post reports on what we know about Haniyeh’s death. Here’s the start of the story:
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran by what the terrorist group said was an airstrike carried out by Israel early Wednesday morning.
Haniyeh, who is one of the most senior Hamas officials, was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president when he was killed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced.
The Revolutionary Guards did not comment on how or who killed Haniyeh, but Hamas pointed the finger at Israel, stating the leader was killed “in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran’s new president.”
“Hamas declares to the great Palestinian people and the people of the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free people of the world, brother leader Ismail Ismail Haniyeh a martyr,” the brief statement read.
Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said Haniyeh was killed at his Tehran residence.
“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his body guards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon,” the Revolutionary Guards said.