A wicked terrorist killed

In a remarkable work of intelligence gathering and strategic action, Israel successfully eliminated key Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while he was in Iran for the inauguration of its new president. Early Wednesday morning, an airborne projectile targeted Haniyeh’s “special residence” in the capital city of Tehran.

The United States, the European Union, and Canada had designated Haniyeh a terrorist. As the head of the Hamas political bureau and while serving as its prominent Islamist speaker, he proudly led its public relations and political operations while largely living outside Gaza, mostly, it is believed, in Qatar. Haniyeh always displayed Hamas’ argument for the Palestinian cause and the hegemony of the Islamic claims of resisting the Jews and their state. His most prominent role recently was to represent Hamas in its monthslong negotiations with Israel after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the war in Gaza for the past 10 months.

There is no doubt that assassinating Haniyeh was almost surely an Israeli operation with high precision.

While the action was a clear testimony as to how Israel can successfully eliminate top-tier Hamas leaders, it’s even more telling about Israel’s ability to reach inside Iran. The elimination of Haniyeh inside Tehran demonstrates a significant intelligence failure on the part of the Iranian regime, especially as many foreign guests and delegates were already in Tehran for Tuesday’s inauguration of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Soon after the strike, Israeli media declared that the rocket was fired from inside Tehran, while Iranian media quickly denied the report and claimed it was fired from outside Iranian territory. Whether from inside or outside Iran, the entire operation, tactically and symbolically, sends to the world a disastrous shameful message concerning Iran.

Importantly, the successful timing and the remarkable precision of the strike cannot be overstated: This was the second effective Israeli operation in less than 24 hours to target a terrorist leader. It came virtually hours after Israel eliminated No. 2 Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr, who served as the group’s top military commander. Nothing can be more humiliating to the Iranian regime and its militant protégés Hamas and Hezbollah than two successful operations in two days, targeting top-tier terrorists of the Iranian-backed militants.

The Biden administration distanced itself from Wednesday’s operation, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that the United States had no prior knowledge of the strike nor participated in it, though such ignorance may be doubted.

Theoretically, this might delay or could terminate negotiations between Hamas and Israel. But with international pressure, the talks will likely resume, as many parties are diligently working for the end of the war. Still, Hamas has vowed to retaliate, but Israel stated it is ready for all scenarios. The most urgent question is the response of Iran.

From a tactical standpoint, eliminating Haniyeh is an intense blow to Hamas, and eliminating the top leaders of Hamas has been one of the main goals of the Israeli operation in Gaza.

Targeting the top leaders of terrorist organizations is arguably an effective tactic for several reasons. Not only will it disrupt the command and structure of the organization, but it will also cripple decision-making processes and interrupt and weaken the effectiveness of ongoing plans and operations, causing delays and leading to potential failures of attacks. This will negatively affect the morale of the members of Hamas, potentially leading to decreased motivation and effectiveness of its militants, especially with the war soon entering its 11th month. Possibly, the successful elimination of Haniyah might discourage current members of the terror group from continuing their activities and deter future recruits. The overall effect is a great strategic advantage for Israel, sending a strong message to current and potential Hamas leaders about the risks and consequences of leading or supporting terrorism.

In times like these, Christians often wonder what to think and feel when evil people die. This is a tough dilemma that many people in the Bible faced, especially as Scripture testifies to the reality that it’s normal “when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness” (Proverbs 11:10). We should trust in divine justice but avoid bitterness. Christians must operate as Christ-followers and navigate the complexity of the matter. Surely, we can have a sense of relief when wickedness is reduced and evil is eliminated, but we are not to celebrate when wicked people die. After all, we are certain of their eternal damnation, which we cannot celebrate, as our God doesn’t delight to see the wicked perish, but He desires that they repent, change their wicked ways, and live (Ezekiel 18:23).

Still, today should be a time for thanksgiving and gratitude to God who works in our world. In His sovereignty, He uses every way to extinguish evil and protect innocents, even, at times, through the elimination of the wicked.