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Instant Reaction: Hamas Leader Assassinated in Iran · Bloomberg Law

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: This is breaking new US from Bloomberg. Hamas says Israel
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: killed its political leader Ismael Hania in an airstrike on Tehran.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Hania is a chief negotiator for Hamas. He was in
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Iran's capital for the inauguration of the country's new president.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Bloomberg's Dan Williams in Jerusalem says the killing follows the
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: recent death of another top level Hamas official.
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  Speaker 2: It's very, very impressive in terms of operations. We're talking
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: about two Middle East capitals, two very senior targets with
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: apparently very limited damage around them. Kind of surgical strikes
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: that could also be considered of strategic value. So in
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  Speaker 2: a sense, Netaniel will have burnished his credentials here having
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: been batted by the October seventh attacks that really blindsided
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: Israel and cause casualties on an unprecedented scale.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Bloomberg's Dan william says Hennia's death follows an Israeli strike
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: on Beirut last night, targeting a senior Hesbola commander. That
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: attack was a response to a rocket assault that killed
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: twelve young people in the Israeli controlled goal On Heights
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: over the weekend. Joining US from Dubai is Bloomberg Middle
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  Speaker 1: East anchor Jumana Bursechi, Jumana, good morning. It has been
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: a rapidly developing series of situations in just the last
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  Speaker 1: seven hour span, between the killing of the Hesbola commander
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  Speaker 1: and now the death of Ismail Hania. What is the
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: risk of further escalation at this point?
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: Well, at this point, the risk of further escalation is
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: certainly a lot higher than it was twenty four hours ago.
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: Two senior commanders taken out in the space of twelve hours.
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: As you rightly point out, the strike in Beirut took
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: out a senior Hesbola commander very close to Hesbala leader,
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  Speaker 3: said Hassan Asrela. But then the strike in Iran was
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: also a very surprising development. Ismail Hani, the leader of Hamas,
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: was killed in that assassination. And the interesting thing is
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: that it happened on Iranian soil. And because of that,
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: the comments that have come out of Iran just in
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  Speaker 3: the last couple of hours or so have been very inflammatory.
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: The president, the new president, who was receiving his inauguration
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  Speaker 3: sermon me yesterday, put out a statement saying we will
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: defend our territorial integrity, and that is not, of course,
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  Speaker 3: the fact that the incident happens on Iranian soil and
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: Iran will make terrorists. This is a quote regret their action.
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  Speaker 3: That was followed up by quotes from the Ayatollah, the
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  Speaker 3: Supreme Leader, saying that the severe punishment awaits Israel. So
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  Speaker 3: very strong wording coming out of Iran, and interesting with
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: the backdrop, of course being that the new president had
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  Speaker 3: campaigned on being a reformist and reopening up some of
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  Speaker 3: the diplomatic channels with the West.
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  Speaker 4: It seems as though that window is closing now.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we all remember the last time Israel struck Iran's
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  Speaker 1: territory with that drone attack. There was that massive response
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: of hundreds of drones and missiles fired at Israel. With
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: the changed political situation in Iran now with a new president,
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  Speaker 1: what could the calculus be at this point.
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  Speaker 3: The calculus is that anytime an attack happens on Iranian
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  Speaker 3: territory or Iranian soil, the leadership are going to see
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: an impetus to want to respond back. In April, what
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: you saw was a very targeted strike capital on both sides.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: So when Iran responded to the Israeli attack on the
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  Speaker 3: consulate in Syria. Again, they had very much telegraphed beforehands
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: what they were going to do. The Israeli response in
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  Speaker 3: retaliation to that, again was quite surgical in nature as well,
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: and since then there's been this period of the terrence.
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: But on the back of this latest event that is
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  Speaker 3: unfolded on Iranian territory, there will be an imperative from
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  Speaker 3: the IRGC for them to come out with some sort
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  Speaker 3: of response, and not just from Iran itself, but including
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  Speaker 3: from the rest of the region and the other allies
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: that IT funds and backs in the region, including hezbalan
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  Speaker 3: Hamas themselves, And if you listen to some of the
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: commentary that's come out of other regional leaders, Katari PM
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  Speaker 3: putting out a statement saying, how can mediation succeed when
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: one party kills negotiator?
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  Speaker 4: Here giving a nod of course.
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  Speaker 3: To the fact that Isma Hanini Hani was the chief
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  Speaker 3: negotiator with these ceasefire discussions.
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  Speaker 4: Those also seemingly being put on hold as well.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Now I wanted to get a little bit more into
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  Speaker 1: that as well. As you mentioned he was one of
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  Speaker 1: the key negotiators in ceasefire talks in Gaza. Where do
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: those negotiations stand now where could they go?
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  Speaker 3: These comments from the Katari Prime minister are really key.
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  Speaker 3: They came out just about half an hour ago, saying
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  Speaker 3: that it is impossible to continue the diplomatic avenue and
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  Speaker 3: to continue with these negotiations given that the chief negotiator
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: on the part of Hamas has actually been killed. So
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  Speaker 3: it does raise a lot of questions as to the
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  Speaker 3: avenue forward from here. From the Israeli perspective, there has
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: been a lot of domestic turmoil, a lot of division
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  Speaker 3: within the Israeli government, and I think this also reframes
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  Speaker 3: the narrative around the regional developments now is a win
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  Speaker 3: for the Prime Minister in Natanya who and his coalition
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  Speaker 3: which have vowed to eliminate TAMAS leaders since the October
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  Speaker 3: seventh attacks, So it probably buys them a little bit
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  Speaker 3: more time. And what it does mean is the likelihood
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  Speaker 3: of a ceasefire deal or truth being got to has
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  Speaker 3: gone down.
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  Speaker 1: Bloomberg's Jumana Barsacchi with us from Dubai this morning. I
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  Speaker 1: know it's been a very busy time for you, Jamana,
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  Speaker 1: so thank you for giving us some of your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning. Jumana Barsecchi from Dubai