Saudi Arabia calls Haniyeh assassination ‘blatant violation’ of Iranian sovereignty, ‘threat to regional peace’

A Saudi Kingdom government official said the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in a northern suburb of Tehran last week was a “blatant violation” of Iran’s sovereignty and international law. 

Saudi Arabian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji made the comment on Wednesday, during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the port city of Jeddah. The meeting was reportedly convened by the Iranian regime and Pakistan following Haniyeh's elimination.

Al-Khuraiji stated: “The assassination of Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran last week constitutes a threat to regional peace and security.” They were the first public comments by a Saudi official since Haniyeh’s death.

He said the Saudi Kingdom rejects “any violation of the sovereignty of states or interference in the internal affairs of any country.” 

The OIC group issued a statement saying it "holds Israel, the illegal occupying power, fully responsible for this heinous attack.” 

During the opening remarks of the meeting, the foreign minister of Gambia Mamadou Tangara, reportedly said Haniyeh's assassination has only escalated “existing tensions.” 

“This heinous act serves only to escalate the existing tensions potentially leading to a wider conflict that could involve the entire region,” he said. 

Haniyeh's death “will not quell the Palestinian cause but rather it amplifies it, underscoring the urgency for justice and human rights for the Palestinian people,” Tangara continued. 

Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri reportedly said Tehran “has no choice” but to respond to the killing, which he blamed on Israel. 

“Currently, in the absence of any appropriate action by the [UN] Security Council against the aggressions and violations of the Israeli regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to use its inherent right to legitimate defense against the aggressions of this regime,” Bagheri stated. 

In November, the OIC held a meeting in Riyadh to discuss the war in Gaza, just one month after the Hamas invasion and attack on Oct. 7. The leaders strongly condemned the "barbaric" actions of Israel in the Gaza Strip and described the IDF operations using the words "massacre" and "war crimes."​

The Biden administration continues to push for restraint following the killing of Haniyeh. 

On Wednesday, U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said he hoped “all parties that have a relationship with Iran impress upon Iran, the same way we've been impressing upon the government of Israel, that they shouldn't take any steps to escalate the conflict.” 

Israel has not publicly confirmed or denied the killing of Haniyeh but claims responsibility for the death of Hezbollah second in command Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike a just hours before Haniyeh was killed when a bomb was detonated in the room of the guest house where he was staying.