Ramallah: An Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank killed a Hamas commander along with four other men on Saturday, according to Palestinian media. Hamas-controlled media said a vehicle carrying fighters had been struck in the airstrike carried out by Israel against a military cell around the city of Tulkarm in West Bank, killing one of the commanders of its Tulkarm brigades.
The identities of the others killed in the airstrike are yet to be determined, said Palestinian news agency WAFA citing health officials. Violence in the West Bank was on the rise well before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began on October 7 and has risen since, with frequent Israeli raids in the territory, which is among those that the Palestinians seek for a state.
Regionwide tensions have increased significantly following the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. After that, Israel said Hamas' military chief Mohammad Deif was confirmed killed in an airstrike last month. These incidents are seen as a major victory for Israel's ten-month offensive against the Palestinian group and a critical blow for Iran and its proxies.
Tensions rise in the Middle East
The suspected assassination by Israel of Hamas' Haniyeh in Iran on Wednesday and Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's most senior military commander, in Beirut a few hours earlier increases the risk of a dangerous escalation in Israel's Gaza war and of a regional conflagration between Israel, Iran and its proxies. Israel is reportedly on 'high alert' to respond to any attack and has promised to exact a "heavy price" for any aggression.
The brazen attack on Haniyeh has dealt a critical blow to the Palestinian militant group and exposed the 'catastrophic failure' of Iran's intelligence and security. The United States had earlier said it was not aware of the attempt on Haniyeh's life and neither was it responsible for the attack. Biden on Thursday (local time) said Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran was not helpful for achieving a ceasefire in the nearly ten-month-long war between Israel and Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had ordered a "direct attack" on Israel in retaliation for Haniyeh's death, according to three Iranian officials, following an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday. Two Iranian sources said Haniyeh's killing sent shockwaves through Iran's top leadership, who are now deeply concerned that their security forces may have been infiltrated by Israel.
US announces massive military deployment in Middle East
Meanwhile, the United States said it will bolster defences in the Middle East by sending additional fighter jets and Navy warships in the region as Washington promised to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies following escalating tensions with the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran.
In a statement, the Pentagon said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the region to replace the previously deployed USS Theodore Roosevelt. He also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the US European Command and US Central Command regions.
The US has had a consistent warship presence in the Middle East and in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, including two Navy destroyers, the USS Roosevelt and the USS Bulkeley. The US had intensified deployments there around April 13, when Iran carried out an attack on Israeli territory by launching hundreds of drones and missiles.
US leaders are increasingly worried about the escalation of tensions in the region. Earlier, President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where they discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, and to include new defensive US military deployments.
(with inputs from agency)
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