DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

A third teenager has been arrested in connection with a foiled attack on now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna. The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday, according to Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner. Taylor Swift fans gather in Vienna. Authorities display a photo of a man arrested in connection with a plot to attack Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Vienna, Austria. The U.S. State Department and the broader U.S. government have been in contact with Austrian officials about the alleged plot, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Gerhard Karner, Karner, Ernst Happel, Thomas Kronsteiner, Karl Nehammer, “, ” Nehammer, it’s, ” Swift, Sadiq Khan, We’re, ” Khan, Swift, ’, Southport , England Peter Powell, ”, Omar Haijawi, Franz Ruf, Taylor, Roland Schlager, Pirchner, Matthew Miller, “ Taylor, Pedro Gomes, TAS24, Elle, Magnus Ranstorp Organizations: Austrian, Authorities, Islamic State, Investigators, Ernst, London’s Wembley, London, Manchester Arena, Getty, Islamic, of State Security, Intelligence, Ministry of, Interior, CIA, U.S . State Department, State, ” Barracuda, Barracuda Music, Estadio da Luz, Las, Strip, Swedish Defense University, Associated Press Locations: Vienna, al Qaeda, Europe, Gelsenkirchen, Austria, Ariana Grande, Manchester, England, Southport , England, AFP, Ternitz, Austrian, Lisbon, Portugal, United Kingdom, Stockholm

☆ UK riots show how social media can fuel real-life harm. It’s only getting worse
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

For nearly a decade, governments and civil rights groups have increasingly argued that online platforms have created enormous societal costs. Many social media companies have invested heavily in content moderation over the years. In the European Union, officials are looking to hold social media companies accountable for spreading misinformation under the new Digital Services Act. In the UK, the Online Safety Act could take effect as soon as this year, requiring, among other things, social media platforms to remove illegal content. “We’re going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a video distributed to media Friday.

Persons: “ We’re, Keir Starmer, Jordan, Olesya Dmitracova, Kara Fox Organizations: CNN, stoke, Capitol, European Union, Digital Services, Facebook, United Locations: United Kingdom, unaddressed, Leeds, England, United States

☆ Iran is targeting the U.S. election with fake news sites and cyber operations, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Researchers identified websites that they attributed to the Iranian operation, aimed at voters on the political left and right. The group behind the sites, according to Microsoft, is part of a larger Iranian operation, active since 2020, that operates more than a dozen other fake news sites targeting English-, French-, Spanish- and Arabic-speaking audiences. But researchers say the sites could be used closer to the election. Iran has neither the intention nor plans to launch cyber attacks. The U.S. presidential election is an internal matter in which Iran does not interfere."

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris Organizations: Microsoft, International League for Women's, Analysis Center, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's United Nations, Associated Press, U.S, Trump Locations: Iran, Russia, China, Savannah, U.S

☆ Iran steps up influence campaign aimed at US voters with fake news sites, Microsoft says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Iranian operatives have ramped up their attempts to influence and monitor the US presidential election by creating fake news outlets targeting liberal and conservative voters and by trying to hack an unnamed presidential campaign, Microsoft said in research published late Thursday. Microsoft said it notified the campaign of the hacking attempt, but declined to say publicly which campaign it was. CNN has requested comment from the Trump campaign. The Iranian, Russian and Chinese governments routinely deny allegations of election influence operations. As president, Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, and he withdrew from a multilateral deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Clint Watts, ”, Kamala Harris ’, Trump, Joe Biden’s, Russia “, China “, “, Qasem Soleimani Organizations: CNN, Iranian, Microsoft, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CIA, FBI, National Intelligence, Russian, Ukraine, Service, Department Locations: MAGA, Iran, Savannah , Georgia, Russian, Ukrainian, Trump, Russia, U.S, China

☆ Pakistani man charged with murder-for-hire plot against U.S. politicians, potentially including Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Pakistani man allegedly tied to Iran has been charged with an elaborate plot to assassinate current and former government officials, potentially including former President Donald Trump. The complaint does not name an alleged target or targets, but a senior law enforcement official said Trump was one of the potential targets of this plot. Merchant allegedly told the confidential source that the “people who will be targeted are the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world. On June 10, Merchant allegedly met in New York with undercover law enforcement officers posing as assassins for hire. Asif Merchant paid the undercover law enforcement officers $5,000 so they knew they were going forward.

Persons: Donald Trump, Asif Merchant, Merchant, Trump, Lester Holt, Christopher Wray, DOJ Merchant, Qassem Soleimani, Butler, General Merrick Garland, “, ” Organizations: NBC, DOJ, NBC News, ., Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Service, Trump, FBI Locations: Iran, Pennsylvania, Pa, Texas, New York, Pakistan

Beirut, Lebanon CNN —Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group will respond to Israel “regardless of the consequences” to avenge the assassination of the group’s top commander a week ago, but keeping Israelis waiting is “part of the punishment.”“Their government, their army, their society, their settlements and their occupiers are all waiting,” Nasrallah said. Keeping Israel waiting is “part of the battle,” he added. The monthslong, cross-border exchange of fire intensified Tuesday morning after Hezbollah launched a “swarm” of drones towards what it said are military targets in northern Israeli cities. The Israeli military said the building was used by Hezbollah. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his Islamic Revolutionary Guard promised Israel a “painful” response for the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, ” “, ” Nasrallah, ”, Fuad Shukr, Ismail Haniyeh, Ali Khamenei, Israel, Asad, Defense Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, Haniyeh Organizations: Lebanon CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Iran’s, Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Al, Pentagon, Defense, Officials, Organization of Islamic Cooperation Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Nahariya, Iran, Shukr, Tehran, Haniyeh, Asad Airbase, Iraq, Jordanian, Jeddah

☆ Pakistani national with ties to Iran charged in connection to a foiled assassination plot potentially targeting Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Evan Perez | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The plot revealed by US prosecutors on Tuesday adds to a growing list of detailed Iranian plans to allegedly kill Trump, according to national security officials. Although Merchant is a Pakistani national, prosecutors say he spent time in Iran and has family there. Once in the United States, Merchant allegedly contacted someone who he believed would assist him in the murder-for-hire plot. Merchant allegedly then told the confidential human source that the work was not a one-time opportunity and made a “finger gun” motion with his hand. Merchant planned to leave the country before the assassination, prosecutors say, but was arrested before he could go.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Asif Merchant, Merchant, Qasem, John Bolton, ”, General Merrick Garland, ” Merchant Organizations: CNN, The Justice, FBI, US, Service, Iranian, United Nations, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: New York City, Brooklyn , New York, United States, Pennsylvania, Butler , Pennsylvania, Iran, US, Pakistani, New York

Top NewsA rocket attack targeting U.S. personnel housed at a base in Iraq’s western desert injured several American troops late on Monday, according to U.S. defense officials. Initial reports were that at least five people were injured in Monday’s attack and that the wounded included both U.S. troops and contractors. Those Iraqi militants have typically attacked U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria and targeted Israel using longer-range rockets. The chief goal of Iran-backed groups in Iraq is to force the U.S. troops to leave the country entirely. There are about 2,500 American troops in Iraq, as well as 900 in Syria, where the Islamic State has once again become active.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Fuad Shukr, Israel, Haniyeh’s, Biden, Kamala D, Harris, Asad, — Organizations: Asad, Asad Air Base, U.S, Hamas, Mr, Iraqi, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, Revolutionary Guard, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Pentagon, Islamic Locations: Ain, Asad Air, Iran, Gaza, U.S, Syria, Israel, Tehran, Beirut, Yemen, Iraq, Damascus, Al Asad Air, Islamic State, Jurf al, Baghdad

☆ Who Is Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s New Political Leader?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

His selection on Tuesday as Hamas’s top diplomatic leader — replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Iran last week — consolidates his power. Here’s what we know about Mr. Sinwar and his past. Mr. Sinwar had been recruited by Hamas’s founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who made him chief of an internal security unit known as Al Majd. While incarcerated, Mr. Sinwar took advantage of an online university program and devoured Israeli news. Mr. Sinwar liked to call himself a “specialist in the Jewish people’s history,” Dr. Bitton said.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, —, Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, Al Majd, Shin Bet, Yuval Bitton, ”, Bitton Organizations: Hamas’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iran

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Such escalation could also jeopardize efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages, despite recent progress in negotiations. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed comprehensive security strategies to protect Israel, according to a statement on Monday. Israel was considering its options to prepare for a regional attack over the weekend. The country braces for war in its own way and tends to pick up after itself.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, ”, Israel, Israel hasn’t, “, Yoav Gallant, Defense Lloyd Austin, Michael Kurilla, Kurilla, Ayman Safadi, Badr Abdelatti, Ali Bagheri Kani, ‘, Masoud Pezeshkian, Safadi, Nasser Kanaani, Fu’ad Shukr, Majdal Shams, Hassan Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” “, ” Netanyahu, Ali Bagheri, Netanyahu, Gallant, Daniel Hagari, Lebanon scrambledto, floaties, Samer Othman, Jalaa Marey, Othman, Liz Nicholas, David Adom, Be’er, Ivana Reiser, Zeev Jabotinsky, Naama, ” Be’er, ” Baer, Reiser, Roy Dror, Ron Heckmann, they’re, Dror, ” Heckmann, Uri Shacham, Shacham Organizations: Jerusalem CNN —, Iran’s, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saturday, US, Israeli, Defense, US Central Command, Jordanian, Egypt’s, Zionist, Israel, Iran, Sunday, Getty Images Israel, Hezbollah, CNN, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Getty, MDA Locations: Beirut, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Israel, Iran, Tehran, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, Syria, Majdal, Golan, ”, AFP, Cairo, Lebanese, Beirut’s, Mount Herzl, London, Nahariyah

☆ Iran says short-range projectile killed Hamas’ Haniyeh and reiterates vows of retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack which it blamed on Israel, state TV reported Saturday. “The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the U.S.,” said the Guard’s statement. The assassination has sparked fears of a wider regional conflict and of a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran if Tehran retaliates. I don’t know.”Thousands of Iranians attended Ismail Haniyeh's funeral in Tehran last week after he was killed in an attack that Iran has blamed on Israel. Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli militant groups including Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, ”, Israel, Joe Biden, Ismail Haniyeh's, Majid Saeedi Organizations: Guard, Zionist Locations: United States, Israel, Tehran, Iran, U.S, Gaza, Wilmington , Delaware, Syria

☆ Protests turn violent in Sunderland as U.K. unrest spreads after Southport killings
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Protesters attacked police and started fires in the northeast English city of Sunderland on Friday as violence spread to another northern city following Monday’s killing of three children in Southport. Violent incidents have erupted across England following the murder of three girls at Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop. Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a second visit to Southport since the murders. British police chiefs have agreed to deploy officers in large numbers over the weekend to deter violence. Drik / Getty ImagesMosques across the country are also on a heightened state of alert, the Muslim Council of Britain said.

Persons: Helena Barron, Taylor Swift, Barron, Axel Rudakubana, Keir Starmer, ”, ” Gavin Stephens, Zara Mohammed, we’re, ” Mohammed, — Organizations: Protesters, Sunderland, BBC, Northumbria Police, Firefighters, Three, Southport, National Police Chiefs ’, BBC Radio, ” Police, Muslim Council of, Police, Islamic Locations: Southport ., Northumbria, Sunderland, England, Liverpool, Southport, Hartlepool, London, Britain, Muslim Council of Britain, Southport —, Northern Ireland, Belfast

Mr. Shapiro has said his views have evolved in the years since writing an opinion essay critical of Palestinians when he was a college student. Mr. Shapiro, 51, has embraced his Jewish identity and been one of the Democratic Party’s staunchest defenders of Israel at a moment when the party is splintered over the war in Gaza. “Something I wrote when I was 20, is that what you’re talking about?” Mr. Shapiro told a reporter who asked him about it. He has also not shied away from criticizing college administrators over their response to campus antisemitism, including at the University of Pennsylvania. If Ms. Harris chooses Mr. Shapiro to be her running mate, he will become only the second Jewish vice-presidential nominee on a major-party ticket.

Persons: Josh Shapiro, Shapiro, Kamala Harris, ”, “, ” Mr, Mr, ” Ahmet Tekelioglu, Shapiro’s, Manuel Bonder, Harris, Joseph I, Lieberman, Al Gore, Jon Hurdle, Katie Glueck Organizations: Democratic Party’s, University of Rochester, Campus Times, Israel, Israeli Army, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer, Islamic, University of Pennsylvania, Jewish Locations: Horsham, Pa, Pennsylvania, Israel, Gaza, New York, United States, “, Philadelphia, Connecticut

☆ Iran claims Hamas leader Haniyeh killed by ‘short-range projectile,’ vowing ‘blood vengeance’ amidst regional tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Radina Gigova | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Iran has claimed that the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week was carried out by a “short-range projectile” and a “severe explosion” outside a guest house where he was staying. The Iranian government and Hamas say that Israel carried out the assassination. On Saturday, Iran warned that “blood vengeance” for the killing was “certain.”An image published by the New York Times shows the building where Haniyeh is believed to have been assassinated. US officials were briefed on the operation by Israeli officials only after the assassination, the source said. Iran calls Israel the Zionist regime.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, ”, Israel “, Daniel Hagari, ” Hagari Organizations: CNN, Hamas, New York Times, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Zionist, Israel Defense Forces, IDF Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel

☆ Israel scored major intelligence wins in daring assassinations of Iranian proxy leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementA photo taken on July 30 shows the destroyed top floors of an eight-story building following an Israeli military strike on Beirut's southern suburb. AdvertisementA man waves a Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral procession of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1. AdvertisementA man waves a Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral procession of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1. Photo by AFP via Getty ImagesYoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, said Thursday that "the operation was conducted precisely and professionally" by the IDF and Israeli security forces. In April, Israel's military intelligence chief resigned and said his directorate "did not live up to the task we were entrusted with."

Persons: —, Israel, Fuad Shukr, Shukr, Hasan Nasrallah, Jonathan Lord, KHALED DESOUKI, Bruce Hoffman, Ismail Haniyeh, Masoud, Axios, Hoffman, Mohammed Deif, Yoav Gallant, apparatuses Organizations: Service, Israel, Business, Getty, Jihad Council, US Marine Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Pentagon, Center, New, New American Security, Palestinian, Council, Foreign Relations, The New York Times, Getty Images Israel, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, AFP Locations: Lebanon, Iran, East, Beirut, Golan, New American, Beirut's, AFP, Tehran, Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Palestine

Eleven years ago, in 2013, Holder said that Mohammed and his associates would have been “on death row as we speak” had the case gone to federal court as he proposed. But he blamed Congress for blocking a federal trial that would have resulted in swifter justice. They were dealt a bad hand by the political hacks and those who lost faith in our justice system,” Holder said in a statement to NBC News on Thursday. “If my decision to try KSM and his confederates in the tested and effective federal court system had been followed they would be nothing more than a memory today,” Holder said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he’s “long advocated that our federal court system is perfectly capable of conducting this kind of trial” and was well-suited to handling serious crimes.

Persons: Eric Holder, ”, Holder, ” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘ Attash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al, General Holder, Mohammed, ” Holder, KSM, “, ” Eric Holder, Chip Somodevilla, Rudy Giuliani —, Donald Trump’s, —, Giuliani, Tsarnaev, William Barr, Trump, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, hadn’t, ” Barr, he’d, he’s, Barr, Alexanda Amon Kotey, Joe Biden’s, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Sen, Chris Coons, doesn’t, ” Coons, Richard Blumenthal, Conn, “ I’ve, ” Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Biden, Thom Tillis, I’m, ” Tillis, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Organizations: WASHINGTON, Guantanamo, Pentagon, CIA, NBC, New York City, Prisons, Boston Marathon, Rockies, Republican, Trump, Justice Department, Islamic State, White, NBC News, House Locations: United States, Guantanamo, Manhattan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, America, Pakistan, Caribbean, ADMAX Florence, Colorado, ”, George H.W ., ADMAX, Florence, Ky

☆ Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran by bomb planted months before blast, source says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iranian state media and Hamas previously indicated that Haniyeh was killed by a rocket fired from outside the building in which he was staying. An image published by the New York Times shows the building where Haniyeh is believed to have been assassinated. He had a full schedule of public appearances and meetings before he was assassinated, according to Iranian state media press reports. Haniyeh was first pictured on Tuesday, before the inauguration, meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Afterwards, Iranian state media published images of Haniyeh meeting with Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Haniyeh’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, IRNA, Iran’s, “, Muhammad ibn Abd al, Umm, Abed, ”, Fu’ad Shukr, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Shukr, Mustafa Badreddine, Israel’s, Daniel Hagari, ” Hagari, Magen David Adom, –, Mohammed Deif, Deif, Khan Younis, CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Tamara Qiblawi, Kareem Khadder, Tamar Michaelis, Tim Lister, Eyad Kourdi, Paul P, Murphy Organizations: Israel CNN, CNN, The New York Times, Hamas, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, New York Times, Iranian, Islamic, Assembly, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, MDA, Kibbutz, Thursday Locations: Haifa, Israel, Tehran, Doha, Iran, Qatari, Wahhab, Lusail city, Beirut, Lebanon, Golan, Yemen, Syria, Haniyeh, Kibbutz Afek, Al, Gaza, Qatar’s

☆ Biden weighs more US defenses for Israel as the region prepares for Iranian retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —President Joe Biden is weighing more US defenses in the Middle East as the US prepares for an Iranian retaliation against Israel that officials say could include an attack on American forces. The statement did not detail what new deployments would occur ahead of an anticipated Iranian attack in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The officials said an Iranian response could occur in the coming days. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that “international partners” have bolstered their forces in the region, though he did not specify which countries. The US is expecting the anticipated Iranian attack may be similar to the barrage of ballistic missiles and drones launched against Israel on April 13, officials said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, Biden, Ismail Haniyeh, Theodore Roosevelt, “ We’re, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Biden, Joint Base Andrews, Haniyah, ”, Daniel Hagari, Israel’s, Jordan, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Haniyeh Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Pentagon, US Central Command, Navy, USS, Marine, Joint Base, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Defense, Israel Locations: Israel, Tehran, Gulf of Oman, Aden, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, Iran, Beirut, East

Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, was assassinated on Wednesday by an explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official. The bomb had been hidden approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials. The guesthouse is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran. The bomb was detonated remotely, the five officials said, once it was confirmed that he was inside his room at the guesthouse. Such damage was also evident in a photograph of the building shared with The New York Times.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh Organizations: American, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Revolutionary Guards, The New York Times Locations: Tehran

Read previewTop Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in Iran, according to a statement from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps early Wednesday. Haniyeh, 62, was the leader of Hamas' political wing. He had traveled to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's new president, according to multiple reports. Khan collectively accused Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, and Mohammed Deif, commander of Hamas' military wing, of war crimes and crimes of humanity on October 7. When contacted for comment on Iranian state media reports, the Israeli military told CNN they "don't respond to reports in the foreign media."

Persons: —, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Haniyeh, Masoud, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's, Karim Khan, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Haniyeh's Organizations: Service, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Tasnim, Wednesday, New York Times, Associated Press, CNN, Business, Hamas, The Times, Criminal, Pentagon, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Iran, Tehran, Qatar, Israel, Gaza, Beirut, Golan

☆ Iran says Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas said Haniyeh was killed "in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran's new president." Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said early Wednesday, and Hamas blamed Israel for the attack. Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. In April, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed three of Haniyeh's sons and four of his grandchildren. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, along with other Hamas officials and officials from Hezbollah and allied groups.

Persons: Ismail Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Sinwar, Masoud Pezeshkian's, Fouad Shukur, Shukur, Biden, Bill Burns, Brett McGurk, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Organizations: Revolutionary Guard, Al, Israel, Guard, CIA, White, Hamas, Gaza Health Ministry Locations: Tehran, Israeli, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Qatar, Al Jazeera, Iran, Beirut, Lebanese, U.S, Rome, East, North Africa

As Hamas’s political leader, he was central to the group’s high-stakes negotiations and diplomacy, including the stalled cease-fire deal negotiations with Israel. Here is what we know:Leader of Hamas in GazaMr. Haniyeh was named the leader of Hamas in Gaza in 2006. Mr. Haniyeh led Hamas from Qatar and Turkey in recent years. He was arrested by the Israeli military and served several sentences in Israeli jails in the 1980s and 1990s. The two were targets of an attempted Israeli assassination attempt in 2003; the next year, Mr. Yassin was killed by the Israeli military.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Yemen —, Iran’s, Sheik Yassin, Yassin, Mr, Haniyeh’s, “, ” Mr, he’d Organizations: United Nations, UNRWA, Islamic, of Gaza, Mr, International Locations: Qatar, Iran, Gaza, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Yemen, Israel, Palestinian, Turkey, Egypt, United States, Gaza City, Ashkelon, Shifa

☆ Iran Has Accused Israel of Assassinations on Its Soil Before
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Qasim Nauman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas and Iran on Wednesday accused Israel of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, one of the Palestinian militant group’s most senior figures, in Tehran. Iran and Israel have fought a covert war for years, blaming each other for sabotage, abductions and targeted killings across the region. Tehran has also accused Israel of past assassinations inside Iran. Mr. Fakhrizadeh was one of Israeli intelligence’s top targets for years, and Iran angrily accused Israel of killing him. He wasn’t the first scientist linked to the nuclear program to be attacked on Iranian soil.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Haniyeh, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Fakhrizadeh, Sayad, Khodayee, Qassim Suleimani, Ayoub, Kamran Aghamolaei Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, U.S, United States, Iraq

☆ Brent tops $80 per barrel as oil analyst flags ‘phase of deterioration’ in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brent futures topped the $80-per-barrel-threshold on Wednesday, as Iran's claim that Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated reignited tensions in the Middle East. The Ice Brent contract with September expiry were trading at $80.32 per barrel at 09:45 a.m. London time, up by 2.15% from the Tuesday close price. Oil gained ground amid exacerbated hostilities in the oil-rich Middle East region, where Israel has been fighting Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas since the latter's terror attack in October. The Jewish state's decision to carry out a retaliatory campaign in the Gaza Strip has since broadened the conflict, with Israel trading fire with other Iran-supported factions, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi. "But now we're moving into a phase of deterioration into the Middle East that we believe is going to capture oil traders' attention and get them to return some material risk premium into the price of Brent.

Persons: Brent, Ismail Haniyeh, Ice Brent, Yemen's, Israel, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Clay Seigle, Emily Tan Organizations: Ice, Hamas, Revolutionary Guard, Republic News Agency, CNBC, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister's Office, Rapidan Energy Group Locations: London, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Tehran, Iran's, Ukraine, Brent

☆ Iran’s Options for Retaliation Risk Escalating Middle East Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( David E. Sanger | Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Most new Iranian presidents have months to settle into the decades-old cadence of gradual nuclear escalation, attacks against adversaries and, episodically, secret talks with the West to relieve sanctions. Mr. Haniyeh had not only attended the swearing-in, but had also been embraced by the new president and met that day with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, making the assassination a particularly brazen act. Now Mr. Pezeshkian — along with Ayatollah Khamenei and top military generals — will be immersed in critical choices that may determine whether war breaks out between two of the Mideast’s most potent militaries. He spent his first day in office in national security meetings. The final decision on how to retaliate rests with Mr. Khamenei and on Wednesday he where ordered Iranian forces to strike Israel directly for what appeared to be its role in killing Mr. Haniyeh.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pezeshkian, Ayatollah Khamenei, —, Mr, Khamenei Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Tehran, Israel

Search resuls for: "Islamic"

25 mentions found