Iran’s mission to the United Nations said Thursday that the killing of Hamas terror group leader Yahya Sinwar would lead to the strengthening of “resistance” in the region, hours after Israel said it had killed the terror chief, as Lebanon’s Hezbollah declared a “transition to a new and escalatory phase” in the war.
The Islamic Republic shared a still image taken from drone footage of Sinwar’s last moments, in which the terror leader is seen, weak and injured, throwing a stick at the Israeli surveillance device.
The mission compared Sinwar with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, a longtime foe of Iran whom American troops captured in 2003.
“When US forces dragged a disheveled Saddam Hussein out of an underground hole, he begged them not to kill him despite being armed. Those who regarded Saddam as their model of resistance eventually collapsed,” the mission said on X.
“However, when Muslims look up to Martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield — in combat attire and out in the open, not in a hideout, facing the enemy — the spirit of resistance will be strengthened.”
Sinwar was found with some NIS 40,000 ($10,770) in cash, as well as identification cards. The Israeli military said the terror leader was probably attempting “to escape to the north, to safer areas” as troops closed in.
Iran supports Hamas in Gaza, which attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, starting the ongoing war.
Sinwar was considered the main architect of that attack, which saw thousands of terrorists burst into southern Israel, attacking a music festival and carrying out widespread murder and sexual violence, as well as targeting military bases.
Israeli soldiers killed the terror leader in a firefight in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Wednesday, and later recognized him as the long-sought-after Hamas leader on Thursday, with Israeli authorities later confirming his identity.
Sinwar “will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine. As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration,” the Iranian mission said.
Hamas itself has been largely silent since news of Sinwar’s death yesterday and had not publicly acknowledged it as of Friday morning.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the terror group’s fighters Thursday night to lay down their arms and offer up Israeli hostages, promising to let them live if they do so.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group, meanwhile, said it was launching a new phase in its war against Israel, saying it has used precision-guided missiles to target troops.
In a statement late Wednesday, Iran-backed Hezbollah announced “the transition to a new and escalatory phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy,” adding that precision-guided missiles “are being used for the first time.”
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group.
After a year of tit-for-tat skirmishes, Israel launched a new offensive against Hezbollah in September, devastating the group’s leadership and killing its longtime chief, Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel launched a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon earlier this month. Five soldiers were killed Thursday and others wounded there, as operations against the terror group continue.