Live Updates: US warships at ready in region as tensions spiral

The Israeli military announced Thursday that Mohammed Deif, leader of Hamas’ military wing, was killed in an airstrike on July 13 in al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis, in Gaza.

According to the military, intelligence received in the past few hours confirmed that Deif, believed by Israel to be a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack, died in the strike, which specifically targeted him.

The news comes a day after Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by an airstrike in Tehran, the group said, calling it an assassination. Both Hamas and Iran blamed Israel, which has yet to comment on the killing.

Hamas and Iran have vowed retaliation. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei promised “harsh punishment” for Israel. “The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house and made us bereaved,” Khamenei said in a statement on Wednesday, adding, “It also prepared the ground for a harsh punishment for itself.”