Israel-Iran latest: Israel vows to kill Yahya Sinwar as he’s named Hamas leader as US warns against escalation

Israel has vowed to kill Yahya Sinwar after he was announced as the new leader of Hamas, as the United States and its allies urge restraint against further escalation in the Middle East.

Sinwar, the architect of the 7 October attacks that sparked the war in Gaza, was named the new leader of the Palestinian militant group after his predecessor was killed in a presumed Israeli strike in Iran last week, with Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr also assassinated in Beirut.

With both Tehran and Hezbollah vowing retaliation, world leaders are urging restraint in a bid to avert an all-out regional war. US President Joe Biden discussed such efforts with the leaders of both Egypt and Qatar on Tuesday, including through an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal.

As Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier above Beirut again on Tuesday in an apparent show of force as Hezbollah leaders spoke in the Lebanese capital, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari vowed “There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar,” pointing to other Hamas figures already killed by Israel.

The IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi has said that Israel will be able to quickly respond to any attack and launch a response “anywhere in Lebanon, anywhere in Gaza, anywhere in the Middle East, above ground and below ground.”

“We will send a very clear message to our enemies, those who attack us, those who in every speech talk about how they seek to destroy the State of Israel,” he said as he spoke to Israeli Air Force staff at the Tel Nof airbase, according to The Times of Israel. “We will strike them, and we will continue to grow stronger.”

Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar took on the top role in the group after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Sinwar helped