Shock assassination of Hamas political leader in Iran sparks fears war will spread

Driving the news: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nentanyahu convened the Security Cabinet on Wednesday to discuss preparations for a possible response from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

• Haniyeh is the most senior Hamas leader killed since the group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
• His assassination occurred a few hours after Israel killed Hezbollah's top military commander in an airstrike in Beirut.
• Haniyeh was in charge of Hamas' international relations and had a key role in the negotiations for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

What they're saying: Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani of Qatar, which is mediating the talks, tweeted: "How can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on other side?"

• Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouq said the assassination "is a cowardly act and will not go unanswered."
• Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel had "prepared the ground for harsh punishment for itself" and that Iran had a "duty to seek revenge for his blood" as he was killed on Iranian soil.
• Secretary of State Tony Blinken told Channel News Asia the U.S. was "not aware of or involved in" the killing, and that it was "very hard to speculate" how it would impact the war. He stressed that the U.S. will work toward a ceasefire for "as long as it takes."
• The Israeli prime minister's office didn't respond to a request for comment.

Driving the news: Haniyeh, who was based in Qatar, had been visiting Iran in recent days and participated on Tuesday in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.

• He met on Tuesday with both Pzeshkian and Khamenei.

What they're saying: The Iranian revolutionary guards corps (IRGC) issued a statement confirming Haniyeh's house in Tehran was targeted and that one of his body guards was also killed.

• The IRGC said it has opened an investigation around the incident.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Qatar, Hamas, Khamenei and Blinken, and will continue to be updated as the news develops.