Saudi Arabia condemns Ismail Haniyeh’s killing, terms it blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty

Saudi Arabia on August 8, strongly condemned Ismail Haniyeh’s killing and termed it as a “blatant violation” of Iran’s sovereignty. Ismail was the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas.

Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran on July 31. The Israeli government, however, has not made any statement on the leader’s killing.

Waleed al-Khereiji, Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister, said on August 8 that his country rejects “any violation of the sovereignty of states or interference in the internal affairs of any country.” Waleed made the statement during an extraordinary meeting of members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the OIC has blamed Israel for the attack that killed Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran has vowed to retaliate. The OIC in a statement said, “It holds Israel, the illegal occupying power, fully responsible for this heinous attack,” adding, “His killing is a serious infringement” of Iran’s sovereignty.

Mamadou Tangara, Gambia’s foreign minister, August 8 said, “Haniyeh’s “heinous” killing and the ongoing war in Gaza could cause a regional conflict. His killing is a “violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Iran,”

“The aggression and violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the assassination of a political leader on its soil is an act that cannot be viewed in isolation,” he added. According to him, This heinous act only escalates the existing tensions, potentially leading to a wider conflict that could involve the entire region.

Tangara urged the international community to unite to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need and to work towards a sustainable political solution that promotes peace and security for all people in the region.

Meanwhile, the US and other Western nations have called for de-escalation, according to Al Jazeera. Haniyeh has been replaced by Hamas’s Gaza chief, Yahya Sinwar. Tensions in West Asia have escalated after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on July 31 that Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran’s capital, Tehran.

The IRGC in a statement said that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when a projectile hit the leader’s residence in Tehran at 2 a.m.