Killing of Hamas, Hezbollah Leaders Heightens Tensions in Middle East

Israel has taken responsibility for killing Hezbollah’s Fuad Shukr in Beirut, but not for a precise missile strike killing Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The Hamas terrorist group's top leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on March 26, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters

The killing of two of Israel’s top enemies within hours of each other has drastically raised tensions in the region, prompting concerns of a regional escalation.

Fuad Shukr, the top military leader in Hezbollah, was killed in an airstrike on a building in Beirut’s Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs on the evening of July 30. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) confirmed his death and took responsibility for the hit.