The New York Times reported that American officials secretly admitted that Israel assassinated the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh, in the Iranian capital, Tehran, yesterday, Wednesday.

The newspaper explained that the American officials' statement came despite the fact that Israel did not announce its responsibility for the assassination and refused to comment on the incident publicly.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention the assassination of Haniyeh in a televised speech last night, but he said that Israel had dealt crushing blows to Iran’s agents, as he put it, and that it had killed what he described as Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, in reference to Fouad Shukr, holding him responsible for the attacks on the northern front.

Netanyahu stressed in his speech that Israel is preparing for all possibilities, warning the Israelis that "the coming days will be difficult, since since the attack in Beirut we have heard threats from all fronts."

For their part, officials in the administration of US President Joe Biden confirmed that they were not informed in advance of the targeting of Haniyeh at his residence in a guesthouse affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Tehran, a day after attending the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian.

The New York Times reported that senior Pentagon and military officials were stunned by the assassination, especially since the operation took place in Tehran, in a move that makes it difficult for Iran not to respond.

A senior US military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying that while Iran is embarrassed by the massive security breach, it may also be afraid of engaging in a full-scale war with Israel.

Axios quoted American officials as saying that Israel was behind Haniyeh's assassination.

The website indicated that the Biden administration is very concerned that the assassination of Haniyeh will increase the risk of a regional war and obstruct negotiations on a prisoner and detainee exchange deal, and a ceasefire in Gaza.

The website indicated that American officials expressed their concern that the killing of Shukr in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and Haniyeh in Tehran, would lead to a state of great pressure on Iran, Hezbollah and other agents to respond more harshly than they had planned.