The killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an air strike in Tehran on Wednesday blamed on Israel has stunned the international community.

Israel has not commented on the death but many countries have warned that it could help turn the Gaza war into a regional conflict.

Here are some key reactions:

- Iran leader vows 'harsh punishment' -

Haniyeh had been in Tehran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "harsh punishment" for Israel.

Hezbollah said Wednesday that senior military commander Fuad Shukr was inside a south Beirut building hit by Israel the previous day but that his fate remained unknown.

The strike, which was followed by another, hours later, which killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, triggered fears the war in Gaza could escalate into a region-wide conflict.

Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Iran, was the head of Hamas's political wing and a former Palestinian prime minister whose membership of the Islamist militant group dated back to its inception.

Hamas announced his death on Wednesday, saying in a statement: "Brother, leader, mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, died in a Zionist strike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of the new (Iranian) president."

Hamas said Wednesday its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in Iran, where he was attending the swearing-in of the new president, and vowed the act "will not go unanswered".

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei too threatened "harsh punishment" for Haniyeh's killing, saying: "We consider it our duty to seek revenge for his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Anger simmered Tuesday after Israel struck a southern Beirut suburb that is also a Hezbollah stronghold, with young men chanting in support of the group at the site of the strike.

Israel hit Hezbollah's stronghold in retaliation for rocket fire from Lebanon that killed 12 children over the weekend in the occupied Golan Heights, saying it had targeted the commander responsible for the attack.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic election nominee, said Tuesday that Israel had a "right to defend itself" following a strike in Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut.

Harris -- who last week struck a tough tone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's war on Gaza -- also called for a diplomatic solution to reduce the risk of all-out conflict on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Israel's military police on Tuesday questioned soldiers who were arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee, a day after far-right protesters stormed two army bases in support of the troops.

Outside the military tribunal in Beit Lid, dozens gathered for a second consecutive day to protest the arrest of the nine soldiers, in a case that has gripped Israeli media.

Israel struck Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut on Tuesday in retaliation for rocket fire from Lebanon that killed 12 children over the weekend, saying it had killed the commander responsible for the attack.

Israel's army said its jets had "eliminated" Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for carrying out an attack on the annexed Golan Heights where the children were killed on Saturday.

A source close to Hezbollah said Shukr was the target but that he "survived the Israeli strike". AFP was not immediately able to confirm that report.

Iranian reformist Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in before parliament on Tuesday as the Islamic republic's ninth president at a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries.

Pezeshkian won a runoff race against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili on July 5 to replace president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.

Tuesday's ceremony came two days after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed Pezeshkian and gave the 69-year-old heart surgeon presidential powers.

Libya repatriated Tuesday 369 irregular migrants to their home countries Nigeria and Mali, including more than one hundred women and children, an official told AFP.

Mohammed Baredaa, head of the Libyan interior ministry organisation tasked with halting irregular migration, said two repatriations flights took place transporting 204 Nigerians and 165 Malians.

Nine babies, 18 minors, and 108 women were among the Nigerian irregular migrants, said Baredaa.

He said that the flights were carried out "in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM)".