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The pinpoint precision of Israel’s attacks on leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah is breathtaking. If Iran thought Israel had failed in its military intelligence over the October 7 massacre, they must be re-assessing after these two incredible strikes.

It was not in Israel’s interests to cause “collateral damage” by killing thousands to reach the one. They were able to precisely identify their targets with devastating effect.

This shows a remarkable level of intelligence gathering, as well as precision application of munitions.

Following the Hezbollah rocket that killed 12 Druze children and youths and injured many more, the question was how Israel would respond, and against whom.

Would it be Beirut, where the mastermind of Hezbollah was hiding, or would it be Iran, which is Hezbollah’s sponsor and paymaster?

The answer came in the form of two pinpoint assassinations. The Hezbollah’s chief of staff, Fuad Shukr, was killed by a rocket that landed on his residence in the southern suburbs of Beirut. A few hours later, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, was killed when a bomb exploded in the apartment he was using. It is reported the bomb was planted months before.

Interestingly, Hamas deputy chief in Gaza Khalil Al-Hayya, citing witnesses who had been with Haniyeh in Iran, stated that the missile killed Haniyeh “directly” at 2 am at his Tehran residence. Apparently, this was a secure compound, but somehow, careful planning allowed it to be infiltrated with devastating effects.

The precision of these attacks has apparently left Iranians embarrassed and stunned. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death only hours after Haniyah had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president. He had travelled to Iran for the occasion from his luxury apartment in Qatar.

Hamas labelled the assassination as “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”.  It further said in a statement that this killing “would take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions.” They vowed to retaliate. Iran has entered three days of mourning and said the United States bears responsibility because of its support for Israel.

This response confirms Netanyahu’s address to Congress in which he reiterated that the existential threat to Israel was not Israel’s fight alone, but the real target was the United States and all Western culture.

In anticipation of a revenge attack similar to the one in April, all of Israel is now on high alert. Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz stated in a message sent to leaders around the world:

“Israel is not interested in an all-out war”.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was not trying to escalate the war, but was prepared for all scenarios. Visiting an air defence battery, he praised the forces who carried out the attack on the Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

“The particular circumstances of Haniyeh’s death, in a pinpoint strike within Iran, is a particular boon to confidence in Israel’s military and intelligence apparatus that was shaken by Hamas’ success on Oct. 7,” according to Philissa Cramer reporting in The Jerusalem Post.

Iran’s Response

Following an emergency meeting of Iran’s Security Council, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered attacks on Israel in revenge for Haniyeh’s elimination. He said particular targets would be Tel Aviv and Haifa, centres of population, which are not military targets.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei posted on X: “Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge.”

“With condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine and the Islamic nation and the combatants of the Resistance Front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning [Wednesday], the residence of Mr. Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran, and following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred,” an IRGC statement read.

“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his bodyguards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon.”

The country’s envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday:

“A decisive Iranian response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its sovereign territory is the Islamic Republic’s right to self-defence.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its inherent right to self-defence in accordance with international law to respond decisively to these terrorist and criminal acts when it deems necessary and appropriate,” Iravani said.

He spoke after The New York Times reports that Iran planned a direct attack against Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Just so we can be clear, what they are saying is that the Hezbollah attack on innocent children was not something Israel should respond to. Rather than targeting innocent civilians, Israel has specifically targeted those key leaders responsible for orchestrating the continual barrage of murderous missiles in Israel’s northern regions.

Will this affect hostage release talks facilitated by Qatar?

Qatar, which has been facilitating talks for a ceasefire and Gaza, condemned the assassination and called it a dangerous escalation. Egypt condemned Israel for not trying to “calm tensions”. China, Russia, Turkey and Iraq also condemned Israel.

While there was some relief in Israel that their military prowess was again recognised, some Israeli hostage families are concerned the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza could be delayed.

There appears to be a split in Israel, with some seeking the complete destruction of Hamas to ensure the hostages’ release, and others demanding an agreement to release the hostages immediately, and dealing with the Hamas threat, whatever that might be, after the hostages are safely home.

Reading some international commentators and the attacks on Prime Minister Netanyahu, you might be misled into thinking the Prime Minister had a choice and was deliberately refusing to agree to a deal.

Qatar and Egypt have warned that Israel’s actions have endangered the release of the remaining 115 hostages. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken claimed the US was not involved in the killing of Haniyeh. He later spoke to the Qatari Prime Minister about the importance of the deal:

“to reach a ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, and unlock the possibility of broader stability. He reiterated the United States would continue to work to ensure an agreement is reached.”

If we can stand back from the specifics and see the overall scenario, Israel is standing in the gap for the democratic nations of the world.

As Israel braces for a threatened expansion of the war, let’s increase our prayers for peace, and for the swift return of the Prince of Peace.

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Image courtesy of Adobe.