International Criminal Court abandons legal action against Ismail Haniyeh

The International Criminal Court (ICC) dropped the legal proceedings against Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of the political bureau of Hamas, following his assassination in Tehran on July 31.

Previously, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan had sought arrest warrants for Haniyeh and other Hamas officials, as well as for "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

However, the court announced that Khan withdrew his request regarding Haniyeh on August 2 due to the new circumstances following his death, and the proceedings against him have been permanently halted.

The ICC continues to review Khan's request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including the starvation of civilians and targeted attacks.

- Details of Haniyeh’s assassination -

Haniyeh and his aide were assassinated on July 31 at his residence in Tehran, shortly after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Bezhkian.

This occurred just hours after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr in an Israeli Occupation airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard claimed that Haniyeh's assassination was planned and executed by the "Zionist entity" with support from the US administration.

According to the Guard, the attack involved a short-range missile with a 7kg warhead fired from outside the building, resulting in a powerful explosion.