Middle East tensions rise after Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh's death; US to send more jets, warships | 10 points

The United States has said that it would deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East.

Tensions remain high in the Middle East days after the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a key commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Beirut.

Protesters hold posters of Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr and assassinated Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a protest to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Sanaa, Yemen on August 3. (Reuters)

Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah have already vowed revenge on Israel – which is already into the nearly 10-month war in Gaza – for the acts. They also blame the United States for the killings. Follow LIVE updates here.

Ismail Haniyeh was killed on July 31 after he had attended the swearing-in of the new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran. The 62-year-old, who lived in Qatar, was the head of the political bureau of Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Prior to Haniyeh's killing, Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut on July 30. The air strike also cost the lives of three women and two young siblings. Israel claims Shukr was responsible for the rocket fire that killed 12 youths in the annexed Golan Heights on July 27.

At least 39,550 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the nearly 10 months since Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack on Israel triggered their latest war.

Here's the latest on what's happening in the Middle Eat

• Iran on Saturday said that Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran using a "short-range projectile" launched from outside of his accommodation.
• In a statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards accused Israel of being behind the incident. It also accused the United States of supporting Israel. They also warned that Israel would receive "a severe punishment at the appropriate time, place and manner".
• Iran's mission to the United Nations has said that it expects Lebanon's Tehran-backed Hezbollah group to hit deeper inside Israel and no longer be confined to military targets.
• Israel said that it killed nine Palestinian militants in two separate airstrikes in the city of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank. Among those killed include a local commander.
• The United States has said that it would deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East, following threats from Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah, reported Reuters. The US has also asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave on 'any ticket available', according to AFP.
• The Pentagon said that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved sending additional Navy cruisers and destroyers – which can shoot down ballistic missiles – to the Middle East and Europe.
• Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the US did not believe escalation was inevitable. "I think we are being very direct in our messaging that certainly we don't want to see heightened tensions and we do believe there is an off ramp here and that is that ceasefire deal," Singh was quoted as saying by Reuters.
• United States president Joe Biden on Thursday night had said that he is “very concerned” that the violence in the Middle East could escalate, adding that the killing of a top Hamas leader in Iran has “not helped” efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
• India has asked its nationals in Israel to remain vigilant and adhere to the safety protocols amid heightened tensions. An advisory issued by the Indian Mission in Israel directed Indians to stay close to safety shelters, assuring them that the embassy is closely monitoring the situation.
• On Thursday, the Indian embassy in Lebanon had “strongly urged” Indians to to leave the country. Air India, too, had announced on Friday a temporary suspension of flight operations to Tel Aviv till August 8.
  
  (Inputs from AFP, Reuters)