World leaders are commenting on the dramatic assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said that the assassination was a "cowardly act and a dangerous development.” Iran's National Security Council sent a threatening message saying that the assassination "crossed the red lines and Israel will pay a heavy price." On the other hand, Geert Wilders, right-wing party leader in the Netherlands, welcomed the killing and wrote: "Good Riddance." The US Secretary of Defense expressed his support for Israel and said that if Israel is attacked, the US will defend it. He also added that the US is working to calm the situation down. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel and said that this was a "political murder, that is completely unacceptable.” The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, also commented on the killing and said that "the purpose of the killing of Haniyeh is to widen the war in the Gaza Strip into a regional conflict." Related articles: Old City resident arrested for praising Sinwar and Haniyeh New details on Ismail Haniyeh's elimination Iran responds to Defense Minister Katz's claim of responsibility Defense Minister says Israel eliminated Ismail Haniyeh Hamas confirmed on Wednesday morning that the head of the organization's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran, Iran, in an attack attributed to Israel, after he participated in the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. According to reports by Al Arabiya, the killing was carried out at 02:00, Tehran time, by a guided missile, and not by assassins. According to reports in Lebanon, the missile that hit Haniyeh was launched from another country, and not from within Iran. Three of Haniyeh's sons were killed in an airstrike in April against a vehicle in the Shatti refugee camp near Gaza City. The Hamas run Radio Al-Aqsa, reported that three of Haniyeh's grandchildren were also killed in this attack.
