Israel assassinated Hamas' top leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last summer, Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed. The comments by Katz appeared to mark the first time that Israel has acknowledged killing Haniyeh, who died in an explosion in Tehran in July.

Since launching its retaliatory war in Gaza, Israel claims to have eliminated the leaders of militant groups including, Sinwar, the mastermind of the 7 October attack on Israel, and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an airstrike on a building complex in Beirut.

The Israeli Defence Minister also threatened to take similar action against the leadership of the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. Katz also warned that the Houthis would meet a similar fate. The warning against the Houthis came as the Iran-backed outfit has launched scores of missiles and drones at Israel throughout the war.