Senator Tom Cotton's Reaction to the Killing of Haniyeh: America is Safer Without This 'Hamas Terrorist'

Tom Cotton, a senior Republican senator from Kansas, reacted to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran by posting on 'X'. Senator Cotton wrote on the social media platform: 'America is a safer place without Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas terrorist whose hands are stained with the blood of many Americans.' He emphasized the threats made following Haniyeh's death, stating: 'If you harm Americans, there is no place on Earth where we won't find you.' Earlier, Marco Rubio, another senior Republican senator from Florida, posted on his 'X' account: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran, which actively organizes assassination attempts against its opponents and former U.S. leaders on American soil, has no right to complain about this.' Senator Rubio also stated: 'The world is a better place without people like Ismail Haniyeh - the leader of a savage group that deliberately targeted innocent civilians, assaulted them, kidnapped them, murdered them, and committed to doing it again.' The Tasnim news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reported early Wednesday, July 31, that Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, was killed in Tehran. The public relations office of the Revolutionary Guards announced that Haniyeh's residence in Tehran was hit, resulting in the deaths of Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards. The Guards stated that the incident occurred early Wednesday and identified the location as Haniyeh's residence. Hours later, the Iranian Foreign Ministry claimed that the United States was responsible for Haniyeh's death due to its support for Israel. However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the United States had no involvement in Haniyeh's killing and was unaware of it. On the same day, Blinken stated during a visit to Singapore: 'This is something we were not aware of and had no involvement in. Speculating about this is very difficult.' In response to a question about the potential impact of Haniyeh's death on the war, he said: 'I have learned over the years never to speculate about the impact of one event on another.' Earlier, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin refrained from commenting on Haniyeh's killing but stressed that 'war is not inevitable,' although if Israel is attacked, the U.S. will certainly assist in its defense. Austin, during a visit to the Philippines, responded to a journalist's question about Israel's potential role in the attack in Tehran and whether the U.S. was aware of it beforehand, stating that the U.S. had heard reports but would not comment on the details. He emphasized that 'war is not inevitable' and that there is 'space and opportunity' for diplomacy. He expressed hope that all parties would strive to utilize 'these opportunities.' Austin also stated that if Israel is attacked, 'we will certainly help defend Israel.' He referred to U.S. support for Israel in April and said, 'We will do this again.' His reference was to the Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel in April and U.S. assistance in defending Israel. However, he stressed that the U.S. would work to take necessary actions to reduce tensions and resolve issues through diplomatic channels. Following Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of over 250 others, including children, women, and the elderly, Israel launched an offensive against Gaza aimed at destroying this Iran-backed Islamist group and freeing the kidnapped hostages. The Iranian government, which had declared its comprehensive support for Hamas's terrorist attack from the outset, began attacking Israel and U.S. positions in the region through its proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. In recent months, the Houthis have carried out multiple drone and missile attacks against commercial ships in the region, and in response, the U.S. and its allies have formed an international coalition to target the positions of this Iran-backed group with devastating attacks. Follow the latest developments related to this news on the live blog of Voice of America.