Hamas names Yahya Sinwar new political chief
GAZA, Palestine (AFP) - Hamas on Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar as its new political chief following last week's killing of his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh.
waited Iran's retaliation over the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran.
Iran blames Haniyeh's death on Israel and has vowed to avenge him, while Hamas's Lebanese ally Hezbollah has also pledged to retaliate for his killing and that of its military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike in Beirut hours earlier. Sinwar, who has been Hamas's leader in Gaza since 2017 – with Haniyeh living in Qatar – has not been seen since the October 7 attack.
A senior Hamas official told AFP that the selection of Sinwar sent a message that the militant group "continues its path of resistance". Jibril Rajoub, secretary of the Central Committee of the rival Fatah movement that runs the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, said the decision was "logical and expected".
Hezbollah congratulated Sinwar and said the appointment affirms "the enemy... has failed to achieve its objectives" by killing Hamas leaders and officials. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Sinwar's appointment was "yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organisation off the face of the earth". Analysts believe Sinwar has been more reluctant than Haniyeh to agree to a ceasefire deal.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday that it was up to Sinwar to help achieve a ceasefire as he "has been and remains the primary decider". Meanwhile, in a televised address to mark one week since Shukr's death, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group and Tehran were "obliged to respond" to the deaths of Haniyeh and Shukr.
Nasrallah said Hezbollah would retaliate "alone or in the context of a unified response from all the axis" of Iran-backed groups in the region, "whatever the consequences". Minutes before his speech, Israeli jets flew low over the Lebanese capital, breaking the sound barrier in a show of force.
