Instant Reaction: Hamas Leader Assassinated in Iran

This is breaking new US from Bloomberg. Hamas says Israel 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:12.480 killed its political leader Ismael Hania in an airstrike on Tehran. 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:16.120 Hania is a chief negotiator for Hamas. He was in 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:19.360 Iran's capital for the inauguration of the country's new president. 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:23.079 Bloomberg's Dan Williams in Jerusalem says the killing follows the 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:25.759 recent death of another top level Hamas official. 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:30.160 It's very, very impressive in terms of operations. We're talking 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.960 about two Middle East capitals, two very senior targets with 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:38.239 apparently very limited damage around them. Kind of surgical strikes 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:41.720 that could also be considered of strategic value. So in 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:45.960 a sense, Netaniel will have burnished his credentials here having 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:49.879 been batted by the October seventh attacks that really blindsided 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:54.120 Israel and cause casualties on an unprecedented scale. 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:57.520 Bloomberg's Dan william says Hennia's death follows an Israeli strike 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:01.200 on Beirut last night, targeting a senior Hesbola commander. That 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:03.720 attack was a response to a rocket assault that killed 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.720 twelve young people in the Israeli controlled goal On Heights 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:10.280 over the weekend. Joining US from Dubai is Bloomberg Middle 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:14.400 East anchor Jumana Bursechi, Jumana, good morning. It has been 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:18.880 a rapidly developing series of situations in just the last 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:23.120 seven hour span, between the killing of the Hesbola commander 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:26.319 and now the death of Ismail Hania. What is the 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:29.440 risk of further escalation at this point? 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:32.440 Well, at this point, the risk of further escalation is 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:35.000 certainly a lot higher than it was twenty four hours ago. 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:38.920 Two senior commanders taken out in the space of twelve hours. 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:42.480 As you rightly point out, the strike in Beirut took 0:01:42.520 --> 0:01:46.640 out a senior Hesbola commander very close to Hesbala leader, 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:50.440 said Hassan Asrela. But then the strike in Iran was 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:55.880 also a very surprising development. Ismail Hani, the leader of Hamas, 0:01:56.040 --> 0:02:00.320 was killed in that assassination. And the interesting thing is 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:03.840 that it happened on Iranian soil. And because of that, 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:06.360 the comments that have come out of Iran just in 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:09.640 the last couple of hours or so have been very inflammatory. 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:14.760 The president, the new president, who was receiving his inauguration 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.280 sermon me yesterday, put out a statement saying we will 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:20.720 defend our territorial integrity, and that is not, of course, 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.240 the fact that the incident happens on Iranian soil and 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:25.960 Iran will make terrorists. This is a quote regret their action. 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:28.920 That was followed up by quotes from the Ayatollah, the 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:34.600 Supreme Leader, saying that the severe punishment awaits Israel. So 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:38.960 very strong wording coming out of Iran, and interesting with 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:42.440 the backdrop, of course being that the new president had 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:46.239 campaigned on being a reformist and reopening up some of 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:47.800 the diplomatic channels with the West. 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.119 It seems as though that window is closing now. 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:54.680 Yeah, we all remember the last time Israel struck Iran's 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:58.840 territory with that drone attack. There was that massive response 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:03.480 of hundreds of drones and missiles fired at Israel. With 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:08.280 the changed political situation in Iran now with a new president, 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:10.799 what could the calculus be at this point. 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:15.520 The calculus is that anytime an attack happens on Iranian 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:19.480 territory or Iranian soil, the leadership are going to see 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:23.679 an impetus to want to respond back. In April, what 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:27.520 you saw was a very targeted strike capital on both sides. 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:31.840 So when Iran responded to the Israeli attack on the 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:37.360 consulate in Syria. Again, they had very much telegraphed beforehands 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:39.960 what they were going to do. The Israeli response in 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:43.280 retaliation to that, again was quite surgical in nature as well, 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:45.720 and since then there's been this period of the terrence. 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:48.640 But on the back of this latest event that is 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:51.960 unfolded on Iranian territory, there will be an imperative from 0:03:52.000 --> 0:03:55.040 the IRGC for them to come out with some sort 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:58.520 of response, and not just from Iran itself, but including 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:01.680 from the rest of the region and the other allies 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:04.600 that IT funds and backs in the region, including hezbalan 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:06.840 Hamas themselves, And if you listen to some of the 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:11.440 commentary that's come out of other regional leaders, Katari PM 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:15.000 putting out a statement saying, how can mediation succeed when 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:16.440 one party kills negotiator? 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:18.480 Here giving a nod of course. 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.000 To the fact that Isma Hanini Hani was the chief 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:24.200 negotiator with these ceasefire discussions. 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:26.760 Those also seemingly being put on hold as well. 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:28.919 Now I wanted to get a little bit more into 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:31.400 that as well. As you mentioned he was one of 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:35.520 the key negotiators in ceasefire talks in Gaza. Where do 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.040 those negotiations stand now where could they go? 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:42.159 These comments from the Katari Prime minister are really key. 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:45.640 They came out just about half an hour ago, saying 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:50.080 that it is impossible to continue the diplomatic avenue and 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.400 to continue with these negotiations given that the chief negotiator 0:04:53.400 --> 0:04:55.960 on the part of Hamas has actually been killed. So 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:58.200 it does raise a lot of questions as to the 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:03.200 avenue forward from here. From the Israeli perspective, there has 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:06.520 been a lot of domestic turmoil, a lot of division 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:10.480 within the Israeli government, and I think this also reframes 0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:14.200 the narrative around the regional developments now is a win 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:17.680 for the Prime Minister in Natanya who and his coalition 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:21.200 which have vowed to eliminate TAMAS leaders since the October 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:23.240 seventh attacks, So it probably buys them a little bit 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:25.760 more time. And what it does mean is the likelihood 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:29.880 of a ceasefire deal or truth being got to has 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:30.400 gone down. 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:34.919 Bloomberg's Jumana Barsacchi with us from Dubai this morning. I 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:36.880 know it's been a very busy time for you, Jamana, 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:39.120 so thank you for giving us some of your time 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.159 this morning. Jumana Barsecchi from Dubai