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Hamas: Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh Assassinated in Tehran. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 31, 2024 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is known that Yahya Sinwar is the main leader. He is the one who Israel believes is currently hiding in the tunnels below Gaza. And he is really the one that is believed to have the final say when it comes to this potential hostage deal.

But we have seen Ismail Haniyeh playing a key interlocutor role, really, when it comes to these talks. And what we had been seeing in recent weeks was potentially a willingness by this individual to push this deal forward. He had shown a willingness to reach a deal if Israel would agree to pull its troops completely out of Gaza. That was one of the things he had been saying in recent weeks.

The understanding we have is that, from Yahya Sinwar's point of view, there is a more hardline position being taken. So certainly there is a concern by many that this now, at least in the short term, has put these talks on hold as one of the key mediators on the, or at least I should say interlocutors on the Hamas side, has now been assassinated.

It is understood, but there is also a concern that this now leaves a more hardline response from Hamas. I mean, we have seen many of the other leaders today give the expected fiery statements in response to this killing, Hamas's Sami Abu Zuhri, for example, calling it a grave escalation. The moment of truth has come, another leader saying that this will not pass in vain.

Of course, it's a big question as to how Hamas could respond to this. It has been severely weakened during this war in Gaza since the October 7th attacks by Hamas in Israel.

But we have also seen the Palestinian Authority president, for example, Mahmoud Abbas, condemning what has happened, saying, quote, he strongly condemned the assassination of the head of the Hamas movement, calling him the great leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and considered it a cowardly act and a dangerous development.

Now, we have seen from other leaders in the region as well condemnation of this particular killing. But it does raise the question as to, going forward, if Israel does want to continue, as one would assume, to have these negotiations on a potential ceasefire, hostage deal, who would they then be talking to?

As we know, Yahya Sinwar believed hold-up underground in Gaza has a far more hardline approach to these talks than Ismail Haniyeh did. MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Paula, thank you.

I've got a question about, you know, we've got this response from Israel saying they haven't denied it, they've said they don't comment on foreign media reports. But is that quite common?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: They don't comment on attacks, alleged attacks by Israel on assets in Iran, generally. So, it doesn't surprise me.

FOSTER: So, if they hadn't done it, dare I say, that would have been their response?

ANDERSON: That would very likely be their response.

FOSTER: Yes, OK. We're following these breaking news developments out of Iran, and that's the assassination of the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

ANDERSON: We're live in Israel with reaction to that. Just ahead.

[04:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The latest on our breaking news, Iranian state media reporting an investigation is underway following the assassination of Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

ANDERSON: Hamas says he was killed in Tehran after attending the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president. One Hamas official calls the assassination a cowardly act and says Haniyeh's killing quote, will not pass in vain.

FOSTER: The reports of Haniyeh's killing came just hours after Israel said it had killed Hezbollah's most senior military commander in a drone strike in Beirut.

ANDERSON: The IDF claims Fuad Shukr was responsible for the attack that left a dozen children dead in the Golan Heights last Saturday. Hezbollah acknowledges he was in the building at the time of the Beirut attack but the group has yet to confirm his death.

FOSTER: Turkey's foreign ministry is warning the region could face a much larger conflict if quote, the international community doesn't take action to stop Israel.

ANDERSON: We're live now to Haifa, Israel and to CNN's Jeremy Diamond. No official response, no confirmation of the ownership of this strike on Tehran last night that took out the Hamas political leader by Israel. What is the atmosphere there? And any surprise that we have not had any response from Israel at this point?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, no official response from the Israeli government but as you said, I mean, the Israeli political and military officials have made clear for months now, effectively since the first days of the war, that they would reach out and strike any Hamas leaders who they believed were responsible for the October 7th attacks on Israel.

And make no mistake about it, while Ismail Haniyeh was not a military leader of Hamas, was not necessarily involved in planning the group's military and terrorist activities, he certainly was viewed as responsible as the group's political leader and he was at the very top, you know, among the top of the list for Israel in exacting a retribution for those attacks on October 7th.

And Israel has not only now accomplished that but they have also shown they could do it in the far reaches of Tehran, in the Iranian capital, showing the long arm as it is referred to security establishment.

Now, the questions are now about exactly what the implications of this will be in a region that was already very, very much on edge.

[04:40:00]

In the last 24 hours, we have seen Israel take out two senior leaders of Iranian proxy groups, not only Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, but also of one of the senior leaders to Hassan Nasrallah, who was taken out in an Israeli strike yesterday evening in Beirut, according to the Israeli military.

So, this was a region that was very much already on edge and now appears to be teetering further on the brink of a broader escalation.

And then, of course, there are those ceasefire and hostage negotiations, which earlier this week, we saw the Israeli government submit a response to those talks. We're trying to move those talks forward. In the short term, at least, this will, without a doubt, have an enormous implication, enormous impact on those negotiations.

The medium term, the long term, a bit harder to discern. But there's no question that Haniyeh was a key interlocutor with the mediators, viewed as perhaps a more pragmatic voice within Hamas on those ceasefire talks, and so a lot of questions about how things will move forward in the future.

ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond in Haifa, Israel. And to our viewers, apologies for the slight issues with the technology there.

FOSTER: We're going to bring in Brett Bruen, though. He's a former official with the U.S. National Security Council and the State Department. He's also the president of the consulting firm, the Global Situation Room. He comes to us live from Tenerife in Spain. Thank you so much for joining us from there.

I've just got a really simple question, which is, surely America -- Israel, wouldn't have carried out a strike like this without discussing or warning America?

BRETT BRUEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM: Well, I wouldn't necessarily make that assumption. We've seen several times over the last several months that Benjamin Netanyahu has brazenly ventured into very dangerous territory and done so without even the courtesy of informing Washington, informing the U.S. president beforehand. This may well be another one of those situations.

And it obviously comes at a very inconvenient time for President Biden and his team. They were trying to advance the ball towards some sort of ceasefire agreement. And I think this is one of those moments where the international community, both the U.S. but also regional powers as well, have to stop taking such a laissez-faire approach to this. There has to be an intervention.

ANDERSON: We have had Lloyd Austin, the defense minister, overnight suggest that regional escalation -- and I quote him here -- is not inevitable. But given what you've just said, Brett, I mean, what do we make of what Lloyd Austin even knows at this point, and what he means by that? Do you have any confidence in the defense minister's words at this point?

BRUEN: Well, Becky, I saw Secretary Austin's comments, and quite frankly, I think they were too passive. This is a moment which requires the United States, it requires Riyadh, as well as Qatar and other regional powers to engage more actively, to engage more publicly. And I think what has happened over the last several months has been this effort at backroom diplomacy.

And, clearly, it is spiraling out of control. And there is a need to take a more assertive, a more aggressive approach, so that we don't find ourselves in a regional conflict.

FOSTER: What are the conversations happening now in capitals around the world, allies of Israel? How freaked out do you think they are, and, you know, can they agree on sort of a joint strategy between them on how to deal with Israel and Iran?

BRUEN: I think Jeremy Diamond's report was illustrative of just how tectonic a shift we have seen in the last 48, the last 72 hours. The fact you have taken off of the chess board two major players of Iranian proxies, and the fact also that this attack took place on Iranian soil was, I believe, designed also to send a message to Tehran, to the new Iranian leadership. And that is important, but it's also concerning, because it brings into the fore the possibility we could be looking at a much wider conflict.

ANDERSON: Brett, there will be those who say that Benjamin Netanyahu acts with, continues to act with impunity and will be emboldened by these two assassinations. I'm interested in something you just brought up a little earlier about Riyadh, Doha, et cetera, getting more involved in what happens now and next.

[04:45:00]

Just further explain what you mean by that, and explain what you believe, for example, Riyadh's role might be going forward.

BRUEN: Well, I think when it comes to those regional powers, especially Qatar, it's important that they are articulating now some red lines for Hamas and Hezbollah. It is important that they are saying, we need to return to the process of negotiations and diplomacy. We would not look favorably.

We would condemn, and we would perhaps even take steps should Hamas, should Hezbollah respond in a disproportionate manner. And I know, Becky, that those are diplomatic defense terms. But what it basically means is we should not see a more aggressive military operation that would lead Israel to respond in kind or even worse.

ANDERSON: And just to your point, let's just bring up what Qatar has said this morning. Brett, thank you.

Max, Qatar calls the killing of the Hamas political leader, Haniyeh, a heinous crime and the killing or alleged assassination as a dangerous escalation. They leave it at that at this point. Brett Bruin there suggesting that, you know, both Qatar, Doha and the wider Gulf region perhaps needs to get more involved.

FOSTER: Well, they seem really frustrated by this. But as you're saying, Qatar is so central, right? If they are, I mean, could they -- ?

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Central to the ceasefire and hostage negotiations, which they've been mediating for some time. Central in that they have open and good relations with Tehran, for example. So again, you know, he makes a very good point.

You know, let's see where the Gulf countries go with regard getting at least involved in the narrative here in seeking a solution.

We will be right back.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Right, welcome back. You're watching Breaking News here on CNN.

FOSTER: Jomana is here because you're taking in the international reaction. I mean, what's your sense from the international capitals on this? Because it does feel, you know, take one of these incidents, and it would be one thing, but the two together in 24 hours.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think there's one common theme in all these statements that we're seeing coming from these different countries right now, and it is this fear that this is driving the region towards further escalation, towards an all-out war that everyone has been so worried about. Worried about this region being pushed towards a regional confrontation since October, right?

And it feels that every few weeks we are here talking about another escalation, unprecedented escalation, and here we are again. And it's not just the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. It is what's happened over the past 24 hours when you're talking about two targeted attacks taking place in two different capitals. Which a lot of people in the region are looking at this and seeing

this as, again, of course, the Israelis have not yet taken credit for or claimed the assassination of Haniyeh, but they are looking at this as an attempt to try and push for further escalation in the region. And the big question right now is, how is Iran going to respond to this? And how are Iranian proxies?

FOSTER: When will they respond, do you think?

KARADSHEH: I mean, is it going to respond is the question. But then again, you also have the Iranian proxies, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere that could, you know, get involved in this, in any sort of retaliation or response. The U.S., targeting U.S. bases, targeting the Israelis.

We have to wait and see what happens next. It's a huge embarrassment, obviously, for the Iranians.

ANDERSON: To that point, we've just had a statement from Iran's Supreme Leader, and this is to Israel.

You killed our dear guest in our house and now have paved the way for your harsh punishment.

So we'll have to wait and see.

FOSTER: It's on their territory, that's the point they're making, right?

KARADSHEH: I mean, for the Iranian intelligence, for the Iranian security services, for the regime, what an embarrassment this is for the stuff taking place on Iranian soil.

FOSTER: Thank you so much. We'll keep following this breaking news for you.

ANDERSON: Thank you. And more to come. The assassination of Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, after this short break.

[04:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: The latest now on our breaking news. The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has been assassinated in the Iranian capital. And we have just got a statement from Iran's supreme leader directly to Israel, who, by the way, does not at present claim responsibility for this assassination.

Quote: You killed our dear guest in our house and now have paved the way for your harsh punishment -- says Iran's supreme leader.

FOSTER: Is that the headline for you? Because obviously, when we talk about regional war, we're talking about Iran getting directly involved. And what happened here was a violation of Iranian territory. ANDERSON: Absolutely. And this is a clear threat from Iran's supreme leader. What happens next, though, remains, of course, to be seen.

FOSTER: What happens next, Becky?

ANDERSON: More on that after this short break.

FOSTER: Thank you so much for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster. CNN "THIS MORNING" is up next.

[05:00:00]