The Palestinian militant group has blamed the strike on Israel and vowed retaliation | The leader of the Hamas political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, has been assassinated along with one of his bodyguards in Tehran, the Palestinian group and Iranian authorities have confirmed. Hamas was quick to blame the killing on Israel, which has so far declined to comment. The group said Haniyeh was killed on Tuesday morning in a “treacherous attack of the Zionists on his residence” in Tehran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has said an investigation is ongoing. Haniyeh, usually based in Qatar, was in the Iranian capital for the inauguration of the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

💬 The assassination of Haniyeh is a “cowardly act that will not go unpunished”, the Hamas-run channel Al-Aqsa TV quoted senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk as saying. “This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. He went on to say that Hamas will continue the path it is following, and is “confident of victory.”

■ UN Security Council set for emergency session on July 31 after Haniyeh’s assassination (TASS)
■ Ismail Haniyeh's journey of Resistance: From exile to martyrdom (Al Mayadeen)
■ First details on Ismail Haniyeh martyrdom released (MEHR News)
■ Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh reportedly to be buried in Qatar (MEHR News)
■ Hamas top leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, region's tensions escalate (The New Arab)
■ Hamas Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran (TASS)
■ Austin Pledges the US Will Defend Israel If It Faces Attack After Latest Escalations (Antiwar.com)
■ China condemns assassination of Hamas chief Haniyeh (Anadolu)
■ Russia Strongly Condemns Assassination of Hamas Politburo Chief Haniyeh (Sputnik News)
■ Erdoğan reacts to assassination of Hamas leader (MEHR News)
■ Syria condemns Israel violation of Iran sovereignty (MEHR News)
■ ‘Blatant' Assassination of Haniyeh ‘May Have Been Crossing a Red Line’ – Ex-CIA Officer (Sputnik News)
■ Конфликт на Ближнем Востоке рискует перейти в острую фазу после убийства лидера ХАМАС. И вот почему
+ THIS: Updated 8:27 Pm EDT -- Israel Air-strikes Beirut - Goes After #2 Guy in Hezbollah (MEDIA)

The number of warplanes is “small,” the news outlet has reported, citing unnamed sources | The first batch of US-made F-16 fighter jets has arrived in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The number of warplanes is “small,” sources told the outlet on condition of anonymity. Kiev has yet to comment on the development. ● The origin of the aircraft is not yet clear. Last year, a group of NATO states, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden, formed the so-called ‘F-16 coalition’. It was later joined by Greece, the US, Bulgaria, and France. ● Some of the ‘coalition’ members, including the Netherlands and Denmark, pledged to provide Kiev with the Western aircraft from their own stocks, while others trained Ukrainian pilots. [...] Moscow has repeatedly stated that F-16s will not change the outcome of the conflict, just like the other Western weapons provided to Kiev. The Russian military will destroy the planes as it has done with other Ukrainian hardware, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this year.

■ F-16 Fighter Jets "DELIVERED" to Ukraine (Harold Turner)