Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said on Friday it was entering a new and escalating phase in its war against Israel, while Iran announced that “the spirit of resistance will be strengthened” following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attack that launched the Gaza war, was killed during an operation by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, a key event in the year-long conflict.
Western leaders said his death provided an opportunity to end the conflict, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war would continue until hostages taken by Hamas militants were returned.
“Today we settled the accounts. Today, evil has been dealt a blow, but our task is still not over,” Netanyahu said in a videotaped statement after the death was confirmed on Thursday.
“To the dear families of the hostages, I say: This is an important moment in the war. We will continue with full force until all your loved ones, our loved ones, are home,” he added.
Sinwar, who was named Hamas’s general leader after the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, is believed to have been hiding in the maze of tunnels Hamas has built under Gaza over the past two decades.
He was killed during a shootout in southern Gaza on Wednesday by Israeli soldiers who were initially unaware they had captured their country’s number one enemy, Israeli officials said.
