Hamas armed wing condemns Israeli strike as breach of ceasefire

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, made a statement on Sunday accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip following Israel's latest airstrike a day earlier.

In the statement, Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed the death of its senior commander Raad Saad, who was one of the founders of Hamas' armed wing, and head of Hamas' production headquarters, responsible for the in-house production of rocket launchers, missiles, and anti-tank weapons.

In addition, the Al-Qassam Brigades strongly condemned Israel's continued killings of its commander and attacks on the people of Gaza in the statement, describing Israel's actions as "crossing all red lines."

The statement called on the United States and relevant mediators to bear responsibility, emphasizing that the Al-Qassam Brigades reserves the right to respond to aggression and defend itself by all available means. It also announced the appointment of a new commander to succeed Raad Saad.

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military described Saad as one of the planners of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, and "one of the last remaining senior militants" in Gaza.

It added that Saad was directly responsible for "violations" of the ceasefire agreement by Hamas in recent months, accusing him of overseeing the continued production of weapons during the ceasefire.

Also, on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a meeting that Israel's objective is the disarmament of Hamas. He identified Raad Saad as a key leader in Hamas's efforts to rebuild its military capabilities, justifying the precision strike targeted at him.

Netanyahu declared that Israel's policy is clear and that it will not tolerate systematic violations of the ceasefire agreement by Hamas. He further noted that Israel is nearing the completion of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal and is currently working to recover the remains of the last Israeli hostage.

Tehran was hit by a barrage of airstrikes on Tuesday, with thick smoke rising in many parts of the city, according to a China Media Group (CMG) reporter stationed in the Iranian capital.

Video footage shot by the reporter showed smoke and dust engulfing nearby buildings after one airstrike.

Airstrikes also threw up thick columns of smoke in western, eastern, and far northeastern Tehran, with all the explosions occurring within minutes of each other, according to the reporter.