Press Briefing on the Deaths of Hezbollah Official Fuad Shukr and Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh

In the wake of the deaths of senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy hosted a press briefing on July 31, 2024, with Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow Matthew Levitt and Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow Ghaith al-Omari to discuss the implications in the region and for the U.S. They discussed: • Who will succeed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh? • Coming soon after PM Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S., will the timing of the Haniyeh killing affect U.S. mediation of a ceasefire? • Has the death of Hamas operative Mohammed Deif been confirmed? • What is the impact of the killing of Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr? • Do you expect Iranian retaliation similar to that of April 13? • How do you respond to the allegation that Israel targeted Haniyeh to stop a ceasefire deal? • Would Israel have launched these attacks if Hezbollah had not killed Israeli Druze children? • Did this expose Israel’s capabilities within Iran? • What is the efficacy of assassinations? What are the results?