Hot developments following the assassination that shook the Middle East

The funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Iran earlier this week, took place in Qatar as memorial services were held in countries including Türkiye, Lebanon, Yemen, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Thousands of mourners gathered at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abdul al-Wahhab Mosque in Doha on August 2 to attend ritual prayers before the Hamas political leader was buried in Lusail, north of the Qatari capital.

Representatives of other Palestinian factions and members of the public attended events in the city, where Mr Haniyeh once lived with members of the Hamas Political Bureau. His family attended the funeral amid tight security at the Qatar National Mosque.

People gather at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque in Doha to pray ahead of the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, August 2, 2024. Photo: Al Jazeera

Israel has not commented on the assassination, but following the October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas last year, Israeli officials vowed to eliminate Mr. Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders as part of a broader goal they have set out to destroy the group.

The assassination of Mr. Haniyeh in Tehran, which Hamas, Iran and others blamed on Israel, came hours after Israeli forces struck a southern suburb of Beirut, killing the military commander of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group.

Israel has claimed responsibility for the attack, but has neither admitted nor denied the assassination of Mr Haniyeh.

As time went on, more details about the assassination that shook the Middle East continued to emerge, more questions were raised, and more "hot" developments arose.

Iran: Security loopholes

The Telegraph on August 2 quoted a source from Iran saying that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad hired Iranian security agents to plant explosives in the guest house of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran, where Mr. Haniyeh was staying when he came to attend the inauguration of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Notably, according to the British newspaper's source, the initial plan was to assassinate Mr. Haniyeh when he came to Tehran in May to attend the funeral of President Ebrahim Raisi, but this operation was eventually canceled because there were too many people in the building and the possibility of failure seemed high.

The Telegraph also reported that the agents continued to plant explosives in three rooms at the guest house and then left Iran. They are believed to have detonated the bombs from abroad, killing Mr. Haniyeh on the night of July 30, and news of the assassination began to spread in the early morning of July 31.

Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated by a bomb planted at the IRGC guesthouse in Tehran, Iran, in late July 2024. Photo: Getty Images

“People are still wondering how it happened, I can’t understand. There must be something higher up in the hierarchy that no one knows about,” an Iranian official told The Telegraph.

"The Supreme Leader has summoned all commanders several times in the past two days, he wants answers, the official added. "For him, addressing the security breach is more important than seeking revenge."

The IRGC is currently assessing retaliation options, with a direct attack on Tel Aviv being considered, with Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iranian proxies involved, the British newspaper said.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari said on August 2 that a special committee comprising Iranian intelligence, the IRGC and police forces has been formed to investigate the assassination, which is considered "one of the biggest intelligence and security failures in the country's recent history".

The assassination of Mr. Haniyeh in the capital Tehran also raised concerns about Israel's reach and influence in Iran.

Hamas: The Successor Problem

Following the assassination of Mr Haniyeh, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is said to be preparing to elect a new political leader, with potential candidates being senior officials of the group.

Mr Haniyeh, based in Qatar, was elected Hamas' political leader in 2017. The question of his successor comes as the fierce war in the Gaza Strip has passed the 300-day mark and could have a major impact on Hamas' future.

A source from the group told AFP that "relationships with Arab and Muslim countries" would also be taken into account when choosing their next leader.

Potential candidates could include Yahya Sinwar, who has led Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2017. Sinwar, 61, is a hardliner and is accused of masterminding the attack on Israel on October 7 last year.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy director of Hamas’s political office in the Gaza Strip, is said to be close to Sinwar. Al-Hayya has repeatedly stressed the importance of armed struggle. He lost several family members in Israeli military operations, including one targeting his home in the northern Gaza Strip in 2007.

Musa Abu Marzuk, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, is seen as sharing Haniyeh’s pragmatic approach to negotiations. Marzuk has been mentioned as a potential successor to Hamas leaders in the past, but has so far failed to make the cut.

Zaher Jabarin, Hamas's finance chief, was close to Haniyeh, and was sometimes described as one of the late political leader's right-hand men.

Khaled Meshaal, former Hamas political leader and Haniyeh’s predecessor, has lived in exile since 1967 in Jordan, Qatar, Syria and other countries. In 1997, Meshaal survived a poison assassination attempt in Amman by agents of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

America: Adjusting the game

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on August 2 ordered additional fighter jets and warships capable of firing missiles to the Middle East to respond to threats from Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen to attack Israel in the coming days in retaliation for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the New York Times reported, citing a Pentagon announcement.

According to the US newspaper, the US military will deploy an additional squadron of F-22 fighter jets from the Air Force, an unspecified number of additional Navy cruisers and destroyers capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, and, if necessary, more land-based ballistic missile defense systems.

To maintain a presence of an aircraft carrier and accompanying warships in the region, Mr. Austin also directed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, currently in the eastern Pacific , to replace the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the coming weeks when the carrier strike group is expected to return home.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt, seen in South Korea in June 2024, is currently sailing near the Persian Gulf, equipped with about 40 F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35 fighters. Photo: NY Times

Some ships already in the western Mediterranean will move east, closer to the Israeli coast, to enhance security, a senior Pentagon official said.

"Secretary Austin has ordered adjustments to the US military posture to improve self-defense capabilities, enhance support for Israel's defense, and ensure the US is ready to respond to a variety of contingencies," Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement.

The statement did not specify when the additional fighter jets and warships would arrive, but officials told the New York Times on August 2 that it would take several days for the additional aircraft and slightly longer for the naval reinforcements.

Earlier on August 2, officials were still deciding how many more planes and ships to send, but said they were looking to calibrate the US response to send enough planes and ships as quickly as possible to the flashpoint without escalating the conflict.

In addition to about 80 ground-based fighter jets, the Pentagon has deployed more than a dozen warships in the region, according to the New York Times. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, equipped with about 40 F/A-18 Super Hornets and F-35 fighters, is currently moving near the Arabian Gulf, while the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), with 30 planes and helicopters as well as 4,500 Marines and sailors, are operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Minh Duc (According to Al Jazeera, NY Times, Telegraph, Digital Journal)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/nhung-dien-bien-nong-theo-sau-vu-am-sat-lam-rung-chuyen-trung-dong-204240803122711084.htm