Lloyd Austin After the Death of Haniyeh: 'We Will Definitely Help Defend Israel'; War is Not Inevitable

Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, refrained from commenting on the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, in Tehran, emphasizing that 'war is not inevitable.' However, he stated that if Israel is attacked, the U.S. will certainly assist in its defense. During a visit to the Philippines, Austin responded to a journalist's question about Israel's potential role in the attack in Tehran and whether the U.S. was aware of the plan beforehand, saying that the U.S. has heard reports on this matter but would not comment on the details. The U.S. Secretary of Defense stressed that 'war is not inevitable' and noted that there is 'space and opportunity' for diplomacy. He expressed hope that all parties would strive to take advantage of 'these opportunities.' Austin also reiterated that if Israel is attacked, 'we will definitely help defend Israel.' He referred to U.S. assistance to Israel in April, stating, 'we will do it again.' His remarks referenced the missile and drone attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran on Israel in April and U.S. assistance in defending Israel. Nonetheless, he emphasized that the U.S. would work to take necessary actions to reduce tensions and resolve issues through diplomatic channels. The Tasnim news agency reported early Wednesday, August 10, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, was killed in Tehran. The Al Arabiya news agency, linked to Saudi Arabia, claimed that Haniyeh was killed in Tehran by a direct missile strike, although no official source has confirmed this claim. The IRGC announced that Haniyeh's residence in Tehran was struck, resulting in the deaths of Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards. The IRGC stated that the incident occurred early Wednesday and identified the location as Haniyeh's residence. They did not provide further details on the nature or party responsible for the strike. Following this incident, the terrorist group Hamas expressed condolences for the death of Haniyeh. Hamas attributed the killing of its political leader in Tehran to Israel but did not provide evidence for this claim. Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian. Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas member, stated that the killing of Haniyeh was a 'cowardly act' and would not go unanswered. The IRGC confirmed in a statement that Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed on August 10 in Tehran. The Israeli army declined to comment on Haniyeh's death in Tehran. After Iranian state media reported that Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in Iran, the Israeli army told CNN that it 'does not respond to foreign media reports.' In a separate statement, Hamas announced that Haniyeh was killed during an attack they claim was carried out by Israel at his residence in Tehran after attending the inauguration of the Iranian president. Haniyeh was one of the senior leaders of this terrorist group, having joined Hamas in the late 1980s and advanced through its ranks over the decades. Ismail Haniyeh, also known as Abu al-Abd, was 60 years old and a senior leader of the 'Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas.' He became the new head of Hamas's office in 2017, succeeding Khaled Mashal. He attended the inauguration ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on August 9, warmly embracing the president of the fourteenth government of the Islamic Republic, and then visited Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, along with Ziad al-Nakhala. Latest reports from domestic media and Arab news sources claim that Ismail Haniyeh was killed at 2 AM on Wednesday at his residence in Tehran. Al Arabiya states that Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for Pezeshkian's inauguration, was killed. He had met with Ali Khamenei the day before. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas official, told Reuters that Haniyeh's killing in Tehran would not achieve Israel's goals. He added, 'Hamas is strong enough to withstand the death of any of its leaders. We are in an open war with Israel and are ready to pay any price.'