(MENAFN- Live Mint) Hamas Political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran on July 31, in a strike blamed on Israel. Iran vowed revenge on Israel for Haniyeh's "blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran". Haniyeh was killed just hours after a top Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr , was assassinated in Beirut.
A day later (on August 1), Israel Defense Forces confirmed the death of Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif , who is believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October attack in Israel which triggered the Gaza war. Deif was killed in Gaza on July 13.
Hezbollah and Hamas are key allies of Iran . While Hamas dominates Gaza, Hezbollah has a presence in Lebanon.
Several Muslim countries and other nations condemned the assassination of Haniyeh . While Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed Israel and said it was“our duty to seek revenge for his blood", Pakistan said the killing of Hamas's political leader was a "reckless act".
Meanwhile, China strongly opposed Haniyeh's assassination, saying it was“deeply concerned” that the incident could lead to further turmoil in the region. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted by AFP as saying,“It is a completely unacceptable political assassination...”
Also Read | Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in an attack on his residence in Iran
At the same time, countries like the United States called for de-escalation. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on“all parties” in the Middle East to“stop escalatory actions.” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani asked, "How can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?"
Should India worry?
As the world remains divided, India has not yet responded to the killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. The Indian Express reported that India will be careful in framing its response as the issue involves a targeted assassination on foreign soil.
It is reported that India's immediate concern will be the peace and stability in the region – "which is home to about nine million Indian expats". As per the data shared by the Ministry of Affairs on Thursday, as many as 1,020 Indian students are pursuing higher studies in Iran and 900 in Israel.
The region also supplies almost two-thirds of India's crude . According to the central government , Indian refiners procure crude oil from all oil exporting countries – with the maximum being from the Middle East – in the process of diversifying the crude procurement. In 2022-23, total imports from the Middle East were 81.6 MMT – 58 per cent of total imports.
How the world may be impacted?
It is feared that the recent killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders would escalate tension in the Middle East , mainly because of two reasons:
1. Hamas saw the killing of its political chief Haniyeh as a major provocation by Israel. Hamas is a Palestinian militant group that has been at war against Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year. The group is backed by Iran. Meanwhile, Haniyeh was Hamas' lead negotiator in the Gaza war. He is said to be the face of Hamas' international diplomacy.
Hamas said on Wednesday its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in Iran and vowed the act "will not go unanswered". Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah too vowed a "definite" response to Israel's killing of its top military commander.
Also Read | Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh Assassinated In Iran | Who Is Ismail Haniyeh?
2. Haniyeh's killing happened on Iranian soil, in Tehra . Iran has been in constant conflict with Israel. With its attack, Israel seems to have send the message that Hamas leaders are not safe in Iranian security. On Wednesday, Iranian president also vowed to make Israel "regret" Haniyeh killing.
Impact on Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The July assassination indicates that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to shift the war's rules of engageme t, moving beyond Gaza to directly eliminate Hamas leaders and strike Iran proxies elsewhere, officials and analysts told Reuters.
If the conflict in the Middle East further escalated, it might have a more dire global impact, keeping trade, sanctions and globalisation in view. But the major ones to be impacted may include Israel PM Netanyahu and the US presidential elections.
Also Read | Netanyahu vows severe retaliation against Hezbollah after deadly rocket strike
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas. Reports suggest that Netanyahu's political survival had been at stake over the past few months, with the prime minister facing protests.
Earlier in July, hundreds of Israelis marched along a busy street in Tel Aviv, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza as their prime minister addressed the US Congress. In April, Israelis had protested in Jerusalem, demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Netanyahu and boosting efforts to free the hostages held in Gaza.
After the latest assassinations, Netanyahu said that his nation has delivered "crushing blows" to enemies in the last few days. Notably, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind Haniyeh's assassination.
Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said on Thursday, "Israel is very prepared for any scenario - both defensively and offensively..."We will exact a very heavy price for any act of aggression against us from any arena."
Besides, Israeli PM Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to hold a phone call on Thursday and discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East, Axios reported on Thursday, citing an official in Netanyahu's office.
Impact in the US
As the US presidential elections near, Democrat nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris's outspoken stance on the Gaza war seems to hint at a possible shift from President Joe Biden's Israel policy.
She has never contradicted Biden on Israel. Biden has strongly supported Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza, and kept up military aid despite tensions with Netanyahu.
However, the US, which leads the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ), has largely avoided involving in the Iran-Israel conflict. According to Al Jazeera , White House official John Kirby had reiterated US support for Israel, but emphasised that Washington still wanted regional de-escalation.
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“All of this adds to the complicated nature of what we're trying to get done,” Kirby told reporters during Wednesday's White House press briefing.
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