White House says reports of Hamas leader’s assassination in Iran ‘don’t help with the temperature going down’
CNN
The White House on Wednesday said reports of the assassination of a Hamas political leader in Iran “don’t help with the temperature going down,” while repeating calls for a ceasefire deal that would see the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The White House on Wednesday said reports of the assassination of a Hamas political leader in Iran “don’t help with the temperature going down,” while repeating calls for a ceasefire deal that would see the release of hostages held by Hamas. “These reports over the last 24-48 hours certainly don’t help with the temperature going down. I’m not going to be Pollyannaish about it; we’re obviously concerned about escalation,” White House national security adviser John Kirby told reporters during the White House press briefing. While repeatedly declining to comment directly on the strike in Tehran, Kirby eventually acknowledged: “All of this adds to the complicated nature of what we’re trying to get done. And what we’re trying to get done is a ceasefire deal.” In the wake of the announcement of Ismail Haniyeh’s death, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with counterparts from two key allies, Qatar and Jordan. In both conversations, according to the State Department, the officials emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Gaza. But Haniyeh’s killing removes perhaps the most significant Hamas negotiator from the table at a critical time when US officials have said that a long-sought ceasefire deal is as close as it’s ever been. “Political assassinations [and] continued targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue leads us to ask, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?,” Qatar’s prime minister, a principal mediator, wrote on X after news of Haniyeh’s death.
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