Moscow strongly condemns the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, who headed the political bureau within Hamas, a Palestinian movement. He died after a missile strike hit his residence in Tehran. It is worth noting that this attack took place while the Hamas leader was visiting Iran. He travelled there at an official invitation to take part in the inauguration ceremony of President-elect of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian.

It is obvious that those who organised this political assassination understood that these actions were fraught with dangerous consequences for the entire region. There is no doubt that Ismail Haniyeh’s killing will have an extremely negative impact on the indirect contacts between Hamas and Israel, which offered a framework for achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on mutually acceptable terms.

Russia reiterates its insistent calls on all the parties involved to exercise restraint and avoid any steps that could dramatically worsen the security situation in the region, leading to a large-scale military confrontation.