Previously, Israel had not said publicly whether or not it was responsible for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, although most understood that West Jerusalem had taken out the Hamas chief. Now, the Jewish state has admitted to the United States ruling class that it did, indeed, kill, Haniyeh.

Haniyeh, who was the Palestinian armed group’s chief negotiator in indirect ceasefire talks with the Israeli delegation, was assassinated in Tehran, Iran last week, hours after attending the inauguration of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The incident has further increased tensions in the region as Iran has promised to inflict a “harsh punishment” on Israel.

No “punishment” harsh or otherwise or retaliation of any kind has yet to occur. Depending on the nature of the response, we can expect the war to stay more tit for tat, or see it explode in the region.

According to sources that have told the Washington Post about the assassination, Israel informed the U.S. that it was responsible for the killing of the Hamas political chief immediately after the attack took place. White House officials allegedly “responded with surprise and outrage” when they learned of Haniyeh’s killing, people close to the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden told the Washington Post on Tuesday.

Publicly, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that Washington was “not aware of or involved in” the assassination, despite Israel being its closest ally in the Middle East. -RT

The Haniyeh’s assassination took place a day after Israel confirmed that it had “eliminated” senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Prior to that, the Jewish state attacked Yemen’s Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, killing at least 14 people and wounding almost 100.

The U.S. ruling class has also scrambled to position additional military assets, including a squadron of F-22 jets and naval destroyers, closer to Israel to help defend against what officials believe will be an imminent attack by Tehran in retaliation for last week’s assassination of Haniyeh.

According to Axios, Blinken told G7 foreign ministers on Sunday that a missile strike by Tehran could take place within the next 24 to 48 hours. That time has already elapsed.

Israel Considers “Preemptive Strike” On Iran