The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar death will strengthen the “spirit of resistance”, Iran said, after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had killed the Hamas leader in the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
A drone video released by the IDF appeared to show Sinwar, apparently severely injured, sitting in an armchair in a ruined apartment, wearing a keffiyeh and battle fatigues. He throws an object at the drone.
In a statement posted on X, Iran’s UN missions said: “When Muslims look up to Martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield – in combat attire and out in the open, not in a hideout, facing the enemy – the spirit of resistance will be strengthened.
“He will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine. As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration.”
In Lebanon, the militant group Hizbullah said it was launching a new and escalating phase in its war against Israel, and that it had used precision-guided missiles against troops for the first time.
Hizbullah “announces a transition to a new and escalatory phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy, which will be reflected in the developments and events of the coming days,” the group said in a statement.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister said on Friday he rejected Iranian interference in a Lebanese matter, after the speaker of Iran’s parliament said Tehran was ready to negotiate with France on implementing a UN resolution concerning southern Lebanon.
UN Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state, with the aim of keeping peace on the border with Israel.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, made his comments in an interview published on Thursday.
“We are surprised by this position, which constitutes a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish a rejected guardianship over Lebanon,” a government statement quoted prime minister Najib Mikati as saying.
The United States has signalled it would begin a new push for a ceasefire, with US vice-president Kamala Harris stating that Sinwar’s killing was “an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza” and that it was “time for the day after to begin”.
She echoed similar comments from president Joe Biden, who said it was “time for this war to end and bring these hostages home” as he arrived in Germany.
Western leaders said his death offered an opportunity for the conflict to end, but Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the war would go on until the hostages seized by Hamas militants were returned.
“Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed,” Mr Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement after the death was confirmed on Thursday.
“To the dear hostage families, I say: This is an important moment in the war. We will continue full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home.”
The IDF said Sinwar had been “eliminated” in Tel Sultan, a neighbourhood of Gaza’s southernmost town, Rafah, on Wednesday. The bodies of three militants were taken to Israel for DNA and dental record testing.
Sinwar’s death brings to an end to a year-long hunt for the reported architect of the October 7th attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Israel’s Kan Radio reported that the Hamas leader had been killed “by chance”, and not as a result of intelligence gathering.
Hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv to call for the release of hostages held in Gaza after the news of Sinwar’s assassination broke.
Families of Israeli hostages said that while the killing of Sinwar was a significant achievement, it would not be complete while hostages are still in Gaza.
In Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, a displaced Palestinian told Reuters the Palestinian fight would continue.
“This is resistance that does not disappear when men disappear,” he said. “The assassination of Sinwar will not lead to the end of the resistance or to a compromise or surrender and raising the white flag.” – Agencies