Funeral of Ismail Haniyeh Held in Qatar; Israel Protests Turkey's Flag at Half-Mast

Israel summoned the deputy ambassador of Turkey in protest against the flag being flown at half-mast at the Turkish embassy in Israel. Israel Katz, the Israeli Foreign Minister, posted on social media platform 'X', reminding of the terrorist attack on October 7 by Hamas led by Ismail Haniyeh and his prayer of thanks coinciding with the broadcast of images related to the massacre of Israelis, warning that Israel would not tolerate mourning for the leader of the terrorist organization Hamas. Katz added that if representatives of the Turkish embassy wish to mourn, they should return to Turkey and mourn alongside their 'master' Erdogan, who 'embraces the terrorist organization Hamas and supports their terrorist actions and massacres.' Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, declared Friday, August 12, a national day of mourning across Turkey for the burial of Ismail Haniyeh. Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials have recently issued messages blaming Israel for the death of Ismail Haniyeh. Israel has not commented on this matter. Turkey, as a NATO member, had friendly relations with Israel before the rise to power of the Islamist Justice and Development Party led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As Erdogan's power consolidated in Turkey, political relations between Turkey and Israel have cooled, and military conflicts between Israel and Hamas in recent years, especially the current military assault on Gaza aimed at destroying this Islamist group and retrieving kidnapped hostages, have worsened the already strained relations between these two U.S. allies. The funeral of Haniyeh was held on Friday in Qatar, attended by Khaled Mashal, Haniyeh's potential successor, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. Reports indicate that Haniyeh is to be buried in a cemetery located north of Doha. Simultaneously, Axios reported, citing three U.S. officials, that the Biden administration believes that the Islamic Republic intends to attack Israel in response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was killed earlier this week in Tehran. An American defense official stated that the rising tensions in the Middle East following the deaths of senior Hamas and Hezbollah officials have not prompted the Pentagon to deploy additional forces, but the United States has stationed at least 12 warships in the surrounding areas. Meanwhile, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Thursday, August 11, that Israel is prepared for any potential retaliation from the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies for the killings of senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders and will respond 'severely' to any attack. Biden and Netanyahu discussed the commitment of the U.S. to Israel's security against the threats from the Islamic Republic. The White House stated that it is monitoring the ongoing developments in the Middle East, focusing on preventing a 'widespread regional war.' Several airlines have canceled and changed flight schedules to the region following the escalation of tensions. Reuters reported that officials from the Islamic Republic and its proxies are discussing 'retaliatory actions against Israel.' The Israeli army confirmed the killing of Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas's military branch, after three weeks.