Abdulmalik al-Houthi, leader of Yemeni terrorist group Ansarullah, on Thursday lamented the “great loss” of Hamas’ “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh and vowed revenge after his resignation had “huge repercussions” across the Middle East.
The Houthis’ admission that removing Haniyeh from the battlefield had a hugely positive impact on the fight against jihadists in the Middle East comes after US President Joe Biden said Haniyeh’s death did not help, and after the Biden administration refused to directly answer whether the world was a better place with Hamas losing its most important liaison with key allies such as Iran and the Turkish regime.
WATCH: Biden says killing of Hamas leader ‘didn’t serve any purpose’
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Haniyeh, who lived a lavish lifestyle in Qatar and traveled frequently to secure funding and political support from Islamists in the region, died on July 31 at his home in Tehran, Iran. The Hamas leader had been in the Iranian capital for the inauguration of President Massoud Pezeshkian, meeting both with him and Iran’s real power broker, “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, when an explosion ripped through his room in what appeared to be an assassination that became an embarrassment for the Iranian government.
At the time of his death, Haniyeh played a key role for Hamas, brokering relations with key donors such as Iran and Turkey, and pressuring Israel to reach an agreement to end its self-defense operations against Hamas in Gaza. Israel declared war on Hamas on October 7, 2023, after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and committed a string of crimes against civilians, including rape, torture, kidnapping, and infanticide, killing an estimated 1,200 people. At the time of writing, it is believed that around 100 people are being held by Hamas.
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Iran immediately blamed the US-backed Israeli government for Haniya’s death. Israel has neither admitted nor denied responsibility, but the Biden administration has maintained it had no prior knowledge of any plot or involvement in the explosion. Iranian leaders have also vowed to retaliate with a devastating attack on Israel, but have yet to act as of press time.
Iranian officials have also denied reports that Haniyeh was killed by a bomb in his room, claiming he was killed in an airstrike. The Iranians have not offered any evidence, and no independent evidence has emerged, about what object was flying into the air before the explosion.
The Houthis, who typically speak in occupied Yemen on Thursdays, took time out of their weekly speeches to honour the memory of Haniyeh, who led one of the world’s most violent terrorist groups.
“The Zionist regime’s crime of assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr has had a major impact on the situation in the region,” the Houthis said. said“The enemy’s latest acts of aggression target leaders and senior officials of the Islamic Ummah who have played a leading role in raising the flag of struggle against the enemies of Islam and Muslims,” Iranian state media Press TV said.
Shukr died the same week as Haniyeh. On July 30, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the “targeted, intelligence-based elimination” of a Hezbollah second-in-command suspected of a series of terror attacks, including against U.S. troops, days after Hezbollah attacked northern Israel, killing 12 children at a youth soccer game.
The Houthis described Haniyeh’s death as a “great loss” but congratulated associated jihadist leaders for allegedly uniting in the face of his departure.
“The horrific assassination of Mr. Haniyeh was prevented by the absolute unity of the Hamas resistance movement,” the Houthi leader claimed. “The enemies wanted to weaken Hamas’ resilience and tenacity and deprive it of its decision-making power, but Hamas continues to operate coherently.”
“Despite the heavy loss of Haniyeh, there is no discord, weakening or retreat from Hamas’ fundamental positions,” the Houthis insisted.
The Houthi comments have been more decisive than those from the Biden administration, calling Haniya’s death a loss and a gain for Israel and its allies. Biden himself condemned Haniya’s killing in early August and said he was “deeply concerned” that it would lead to escalating tensions. When asked by a reporter if Haniya’s death had hurt the chances of a ceasefire agreement, Biden said it “didn’t help.”
In an August 2 interview, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby did not directly answer the question of whether “the world would be a better place” without Haniya.
“I think it’s important that we focus on getting a ceasefire,” Kirby replied. “You know what’s going to be the key to getting the Middle East better? It’s getting a ceasefire.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was quick to distance the Biden administration from the Tehran explosion in late July, telling reporters, “This is something that we were not aware of and had no involvement in.” Like Kirby, Blinken insisted on focusing on negotiating a ceasefire “to end the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
“It’s critical that we bring home the hostages, including Americans. It’s critical that we steer things in a better direction, hopefully toward more durable peace and more durable security. That keeps the focus. And again, I’ve learned that it’s not wise to speculate on the impact of one event,” Blinken said.
