Israel and its enemies Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah pledged to continue fighting in Gaza and Lebanon on Friday dashed hopes that the death of Palestinian militant leader Yahya Sinwar would end more than a year of war in the Middle East. It is possible
Iran, Israel’s arch enemy and the militants’ main backer, also said Sinwar’s death would only fuel “the spirit of resistance”.
Hamas leader Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the Gaza war, was killed by Israeli troops in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday.
The video shows him throwing a stick at the drone as he dies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed his killing as a milestone but vowed to continue the war, which in recent weeks has expanded from fighting Hamas in Gaza to attacking and pursuing Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
“The war is not over yet,” Netanyahu told Israelis late Thursday, adding that fighting would continue until people held hostage by Hamas were released.
“We have a huge opportunity before us to stop the axis of evil,” he said, referring to Iran and its terrorist allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen across the region.
Hamas said the hostages would be released only after a halt to hostilities in Gaza, Israel’s withdrawal and the release of its prisoners.
“The martyrdom of our brother, leader Yahya Sinwar … will only enhance the strength and resolve of Hamas and our resistance,” it said, confirming his death.
That rhetoric from the warring parties contrasted with Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, who have said Sinwar’s death offered an opportunity for talks. Sinwar was refusing to negotiate, Washington said.
Israel’s government has rejected multiple efforts by its main ally, the United States, to force a ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon.
A senior diplomat working in Lebanon told Reuters that Sinwar’s death seemed to misplace hopes of ending the war.
The diplomat said, “We actually hoped that getting rid of Sinwar would be a turning point where the wars would end… where everyone would be ready to lay down their arms. It appears that once again we were wrong. ” ,
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellatty said he feared the war was going to get worse.
“Unfortunately, we are on the brink of a broader regional war,” he told the state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV channel. “Some parties are eager to escalate tensions.”
He said international mediators – including Egypt – have moved closer to a ceasefire in Gaza but Israel lacks the political will.
Families of Israeli hostages said that although the killing of Sinwar was an accomplishment, it would not be accomplished as long as the captives remained in Gaza.
The conflict has led to direct Iranian–Israeli confrontations, including missile attacks on Israel on April and October 1.
Netanyahu has vowed to respond to the October attack, although Washington has pressured him not to attack Iranian energy facilities or nuclear sites.
Biden, who visited Berlin on Friday, said there was a possibility of working toward a ceasefire in Lebanon but that it would be difficult in Gaza. He also told reporters that he had an understanding of when and how Israel would respond to Iran’s missile attacks. He declined to elaborate.
tracked down and killed
Sinwar, Hamas’ overall leader, is believed to be hiding in a warren of tunnels built by Hamas beneath Gaza after the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
He was killed by Israeli soldiers during a gun battle on Wednesday, initially unaware that they had captured their number one enemy, Israeli officials said.
The army released drone video in which it said Sinwar was covered in dust, sitting on a chair inside a destroyed building. As he was dying he was tracked by a drone, with video showing him throwing a stick.
According to Israeli officials, approximately 1,200 people were killed in the attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. According to Palestinian officials, Israel has since killed more than 42,000 people. Its offensive has left most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people homeless, maimed thousands, caused mass starvation and destroyed hospitals and schools.
Hezbollah, which began firing rockets at Israel on October 8 in support of its ally Hamas, has been the target of Israel’s intensified attacks on Lebanon, which have killed more than 2,000 and displaced 1.2 million.
Israel has now killed several top Hamas leaders and decapitated the Hezbollah leadership in a matter of weeks, primarily through air strikes.
The killings have dealt a blow to what anti-Israeli forces call the axis of resistance: a group of proxy militant groups that Iran has spent decades supporting across the region.
The Palestinian militant group is likely to replace Sinwar with a new political leader from outside Gaza, while his brother Mohammed Sinwar is expected to play a bigger role in directing the war against Israel in the region, experts said.
Iran gave no indication that Sinwar’s killing would change its support.
Its mission to the United Nations said, “The spirit of resistance will be strengthened.”
Hezbollah was also defiant and announced “a transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel.”
The Israeli military said on Friday it had also killed Muhammad Hassan Ramal, a Hezbollah commander in the Tayyib region in southern Lebanon.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, visiting Beirut, called for the strengthening of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL. Italy contributes troops to the force.
“I reiterate that I believe the targeting of UNIFIL is unacceptable,” Maloney said at a joint press conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, referring to recent Israeli attacks involving the mission’s troops.
He said he planned to hold talks with Netanyahu after visiting Lebanon and Jordan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
