Israel assassinated Hamas' top leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last summer, Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed. The comments by Katz appeared to mark the first time that Israel has acknowledged killing Haniyeh, who died in an explosion in Tehran in July.

Since launching its retaliatory war in Gaza, Israel claims to have eliminated the leaders of militant groups including, Sinwar, the mastermind of the 7 October attack on Israel, and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an airstrike on a building complex in Beirut.

Israel's defence minister has admitted that Israel killed Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Israel has also vowed to target the heads of the Iran-backed Houthi movement.

Iran on Tuesday denounced what it termed Israel's "brazen admission" of having killed former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year, accusing the country of having carried out a "heinous crime" and defending its missile-strike response.

Israel has admitted responsibility for assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last summer. In a speech on Monday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz acknowledged that Israeli forces were behind the killing of Haniyeh, who died in an explosion in Tehran in July.

Israel Katz admitted for the first time publicly to Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July, further risking tensions in the region.

Israel has confirmed the assassination of a top Hamas leader and escalated threats against Yemen's Houthis, while the Middle East grapples with rising tensions, humanitarian crises, and shifting power dynamics.