Hamas leader Sinwar killing: Hezbollah vows a new phase in the war
The Hindu
Hezbollah vows to fight Israel, Israeli hostages will not return until Gaza ‘aggression’ stops, says Hamas
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah vowed on Friday (October 18, 2024) to launch a new phase of fighting against Israel, a day after Israel said its forces in Gaza had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of last year’s deadly attack on Israel that sparked the multifront war.
Israeli hostages in Gaza will not return until “the aggression” on the besieged Palestinian enclave stops and Israeli forces withdraw, Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy Gaza Hamas chief and the group’s chief negotiator, said on Friday (October 18, 2024).
Sinwar’s killing, in what appeared to be a chance front-line encounter with Israeli troops, could shift the dynamics of the Gaza war even as Israel presses its offensive against Hezbollah with ground troops in southern Lebanon and airstrikes in other areas of the country. Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel nearly every day since the Israel-Hamas war began.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, which hailed Sinwar as a martyr who can inspire others in challenging Israel.
Israel has pledged to destroy Hamas politically in Gaza, and killing Sinwar was a top military priority.
Photos which were apparently taken by Israeli troops on the scene showed the body of a man who appeared to be him, half-buried in rubble and with a gaping wound in his head.
One of Hamas’ political leaders abroad on Friday (October 18, 2024) seemed to refer Sinwar's death in a statement, saying Israel is mistaken if it “believes that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people.”
The 29th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP29), held at Baku in Azerbaijan, is arguably the most important of the United Nations’ climate conferences. It was supposed to conclude on November 22, after nearly 11 days of negotiations and the whole purpose was for the world to take a collective step forward in addressing rising carbon emissions.