By Shukri Hussein
SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The leader of Yemen's Houthi group said Wednesday that Israel’s assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh “has elevated the battle to a wider scope,” the consequences of which will be severe for Tel Aviv.
In a statement published by the group’s Al-Masirah TV channel, Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi said "the criminal enemy's involvement in targeting the martyr (Haniyeh) has elevated the battle to a wider scope and greater dimensions, the consequences of which will be dire for the enemy, God willing.”
"We will spare no effort, with God's permission and in cooperation with our brothers in the Resistance Axis in avenging the martyr and all the martyrs and the injustice suffered by the Palestinian people."
On July 20, Israel launched airstrikes on fuel tanks and a power station at the port of Al Hudaydah in western Yemen in response to the killing of an Israeli in a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv on July 19.
“The crime of targeting Haniyeh will serve as a greater motivation to punish the criminal enemy,” al-Houthi added.
On Wednesday morning, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas announced Haniyeh's assassination in a “treacherous Zionist airstrike” on his residence in the Iranian capital, Tehran, after he attended the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Tuesday.
Iranian state television confirmed Haniyeh's death and said “an investigation is ongoing into the assassination, and the results will be announced soon.”
The Israeli military refrained from commenting on Haniyeh's assassination, telling Anadolu: “We do not comment on these reports.”
Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
At least 39,445 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio