Hours after the deaths of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his nation has delivered “crushing blows” to its enemies in recent days, CNN reported.
During his address to the nation, Netanyahu did not claim responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing. Notably, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in 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,” Netanyahu stated.
Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel is facing “challenging days” and asserted that it will “settle the score” with anyone who harms the country.
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“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 reaffirmed that Israel will continue fighting until the war’s objectives are achieved, referencing previous calls to end the war in Gaza: “I did not give in then and I am not giving in today.”
In reaction to Haniyeh’s death, the White House stated it “can’t confirm or verify” reports from Hamas about Haniyeh’s killing in an Israeli strike in Tehran.
John Kirby, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, acknowledged that the deaths of Haniyeh in Tehran and Fuad Shukr in southern Beirut on Tuesday “certainly don’t help with the temperature going down.”
“I’m not going to be Pollyannish about it — we’re obviously concerned about escalation,” Kirby told reporters during Wednesday’s White House press briefing. “All of this adds to the complicated nature of what we’re trying to get done.”
Hezbollah confirmed the death of senior commander Fuad Shukr on Wednesday, as reported by CNN.
“We celebrate the great jihadist leader, dear beloved brother Fu’ad Shukr (Moshin), as a great martyr on the path to Jerusalem,” Hezbollah said in a statement.
Israel had claimed on Tuesday that its strike in Beirut killed Shukr, who was blamed for a deadly Saturday attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
In another development, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced a national day of mourning on Wednesday over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. 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, and Palestinian factions announced a general strike and called for demonstrations in the West Bank. The mourning for the Hamas leader marked a rare moment of Palestinian unity amid fragmentation and uncertainty about Gaza’s future leadership after the war.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Newsx staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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