JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has openly admitted that Israel was responsible for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. This is the first time Israel has publicly acknowledged the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran last July.

"These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran's defence systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand," Katz said during an event.

"We will damage their strategic infrastructure, and we will behead their leaders – just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon – we will do it in Hodeidah and Sana'a," Katz added.

Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran in an Israeli attack following his arrival in the country to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian. Reports indicate that Israel had vowed to eliminate Haniyeh and dismantle Hamas after Hamas's October 7 attack, which caused the deaths of over a thousand people.