Indonesia Condemns Assassination of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia has strongly condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday.

“It constitutes a provocation that could escalate conflicts in the region and derail the ongoing negotiation,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a social media post on Wednesday.

The Palestinian organization confirmed that Haniyeh was killed early Wednesday in an Israeli attack on his residence in Tehran.

“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas expresses condolences to the sons of our great Palestinian people … Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement was killed as a result of a treacherous Zionist attack on his residence in Tehran,” Hamas stated on Telegram.

Haniyeh was in Iran’s capital to attend the inauguration of Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president on Tuesday.

Haniyeh’s assassination has been swiftly condemned by the international community. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the assassination as a “cowardly and dangerous” act. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the assassination a “despicable attempt to undermine the Palestinian cause.”

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mikhail Bogdanov condemned the attack as unacceptable and warned it could lead to further escalation. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry echoed this sentiment, stating that the assassination could “undermine the chances of peace.”

Israel, accused of perpetrating the assassination, has made no immediate announcement. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Washington was “not aware of or involved in” the assassination of the Hamas leader.

Iranian state television, which reported Haniyeh’s death, stated that an investigation into the assassination is ongoing and that the results will be announced soon.