THE ORGANISATION OF Islamic Cooperation has said that Israel is “fully responsible” for the killing of Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

At an extra-ordinary meeting of the 57-member bloc in the Saudi city of Jeddah, a statement issued said that it holds “holds Israel, the illegal occupying power, fully responsible for this heinous attack”, which was “a serious infringement” of Iran’s sovereignty.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim El-Khereiji said that the attack “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran… and constitutes a threat to regional peace and security”.

Last week, Haniyeh was killed by a strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Israel have not formally commented on the attack.

Yesterday, Hamas formally announced that Yayha Sinwar as the organisation’s new Chief of the Political Bureau. Israel blame’s Sinwar for Hamas’ attack on the country on October 7.

Tensions in the region have been further enflamed by the killing of Haniyeh, with Iran and its allies vowing retaliation. Lebanon’s Hezbollah have also vowed to respond to Israel’s killing of its military chief Fuad Shukr, while Yemen’s Houthi movement have done the same after an Israeli bombing of the port at Hodeidah.

With reporting from © AFP 2024.