UN News reports:

“The Secretary-General believes that the attacks we have seen in South Beirut and Teheran represent a dangerous escalation at a moment in which all efforts should instead be leading to a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages, a massive increase of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and a return to calm in Lebanon and across the Blue Line,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“Rather than that, what we are seeing are efforts to undermine these goals,” he added.

Middle East Eye‘s Big Picture Podcast:

Two assassinations. Two capital cities. Less than 24 hours.

One struck an apartment in downtown Beirut, killing a woman and two children – targeting a Hezbollah senior commander.

Then just hours later, a strike in the heart of Tehran, assassinating Hamas’ most high profile figure, and its political chief – Ismail Hanieyah.

Israel has claimed the first attack, though not the second – at least not yet – but the reverberations are already starting to be felt – as are fears that we’re barreling towards an inevitable regional war – one that could spiral quickly out of control.

This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with award-winning Israeli journalist and author Gideon Levy about the significance, and wisdom, of the two high profile assassinations.

CNN reports:

A source with knowledge of the negotiations told CNN Wednesday that Haniyeh’s assassination could “complicate mediation talks,” as he had been “instrumental” to their progress. The source said Haniyeh was a “key decision-maker,” along with Hamas’ military leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar,

“He was someone who saw the value of a deal and was instrumental to getting certain breakthroughs in the talks,” the source said, adding that “at this stage, it’s unclear what the effect will be on ceasefire talks.”

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas talks, wrote on X: “Political assassinations and continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?” [Continue reading…]

As Azzam Tamimi writes, however many Hamas leaders Israel kills, the reasons for the militant movement’s existence continue to endure:

Haniyeh’s peers and comrades would agree that he was a unifying figure. Within the Hamas circles, he was not seen as controversial but rather as a representative of a moderate, mainstream, middle ground trend within the movement.

This is what quickly ascended him to the top ranks of the movement when a succession of assassinations eliminated a whole generation of founders and leaders including: Imad Aqil on 24 November 1993; Yahya Ayyash on 5 January 1996; Jamal Salim and Jamal Mansur on 31 July 2001; Mahmud Abu Hannud on 23 November 2001; Salah Shehadah on 22 July 2002; Ibrahim al-Maqadma on 8 March 2003; Isma’il Abu Shanab on 21 August 2003; Sheikh Ahmad Yassin on 21 March 2004; Abd Al-Aziz al-Rantisi on 17 April 2004; and, more recently, Saleh al-Arouri on 2 January 2024. [Continue reading…]

Axios reports:

The Biden administration is “very concerned” the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh could derail negotiations over the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal and increase the risk of a regional war, three U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: The Biden administration has put a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas at the center of its entire post-war strategy in the Middle East.

• President Biden is personally involved in efforts to reach an agreement and sees it as a key factor in defining his legacy.
• Haniyeh was the key interlocutor with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in the negotiations over the deal.

[Continue reading…]