A poster of newly appointed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar hangs in the window.
Chris McGrath | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Israeli military said on Thursday it was investigating the “possibility” that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was one of three militants killed in an operation in the Gaza Strip.
The identity of the three casualties could not be confirmed at this time, the IDF added.
“Forces operating in the area will continue to exercise the necessary caution,” the statement added. social media posts. CNBC could not independently confirm the report.
In a social media update posted after the IDF communication, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by your sword. – Leviticus 26,” according to an NBC translation.
He added, “Our enemies cannot hide. We will pursue them and destroy them.”
John Kirby, a spokesman for the Department of National Security, said Washington was aware of reports of Shinwar’s possible death but that U.S. officials had not independently verified the information, NBC News reported.
Sinwar took full control of Iran-backed Hamas in August following the assassination of former political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Israel accuses Sinwar of masterminding Hamas’s October 7 terror attack in the Jewish state, prompting Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu government to launch a retaliatory campaign in Gaza to dismantle the Palestinian group’s military capabilities and leadership .
The conflict has since expanded into direct hostilities between Israel and Iran, as well as between the Jewish state and other factions backed by Tehran, such as Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah – whose leader Hassan Nasrallah yes killed Last month, the Israeli army launched air strikes on Beirut.
Markets are mired in a year-long conflict that now poses significant risks to oil supplies if Israel responds to Iran’s latest hostilities with attacks on Tehran’s energy infrastructure and export facilities.
The Houthis have carried out maritime attacks on ships they say are linked to Israel, the United States or Britain — attacks that also target unrelated vessels — while disrupting a key commercial route in the Red Sea linking the Asia-Pacific and the Mediterranean.
This breaking news story is being updated.
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