WASHINGTON July 31. 2024 (Saba) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that "his country did not know in advance of the attack on the head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh."
Blinken said in a press statement on Wednesday, following the assassination of Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, "Tehran": "The priority now is to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, which is in the interest of the prisoners."
"Reaching a ceasefire is necessary and we are working on that daily," he said.
Earlier in the day, CBS quoted a source familiar with the ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip as saying that the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh "may complicate mediation efforts because he was a key decision-maker."
The source pointed out that "Haniyeh realized the value of the agreement and played a role in achieving breakthroughs in the talks."
The White House said earlier it was "aware of reports of the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh."
US Secretary of War Lloyd Austin said while traveling to the Philippines that he was aware of reports that Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh had been assassinated in Iran, but had no further comment on this.
The White House spokesman said the administration had seen reports that Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh had been assassinated in Iran, but declined to comment further immediately.
E.M
resource : Saba
| more of (International) |