National Security Adviser John Kirby stated on Wednesday that the White House is unable to confirm or verify reports from Hamas claiming that their political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran.
Kirby emphasized that there is no independent confirmation of the reports coming out of Tehran and that the White House cannot provide any verification at this time. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation, although details regarding when he was informed about the specific strike were not disclosed.
While Israel has not officially confirmed or denied involvement in Haniyeh's alleged assassination, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed a resolute stance, pledging to continue fighting and asserting that Israel has dealt significant blows to its adversaries.
The reported incident involving Haniyeh marks the second high-profile figure associated with an Iran-backed group to be targeted within a day, following the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon by Israel.
