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| Former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh | Photo: Reuters |
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has admitted for the first time to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran in July.
Israel Katz made the remarks in a speech targeting top leaders of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have been carrying out missile and drone attacks on Israel.
Haniyeh was killed in an attack on a building in the Iranian capital, which was widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there has been some progress on the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.
However, he did not mention any deadline for the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, Katz also said in his speech that Israel would carry out a "harsh attack" against the Houthis and "behead" their leadership.
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| Hassan Nasrallah | Photo: Reuters |
Haniyeh was considered the supreme leader of Hamas and was playing a key role in negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza.
After his assassination, Hamas declared Yahya Sinwar as its new leader. He is one of the architects of Hamas' attacks on Israeli territory.
He was also killed in an Israeli military operation last October. Since then, Hamas is still in the process of choosing a new leader.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, was killed in an Israeli military operation in Beirut in September. Hezbollah was constantly fighting on the border with Israel.
The Houthis, who control northwestern Lebanon, have been attacking Israeli and international ships in the Red Sea since Israel launched its military operation in Gaza. They have vowed to continue fighting until the war in Gaza ends.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it was unable to shoot down a missile fired from Yemen and that it hit a park in Tel Aviv.