High-Stakes Conversations Amid Middle East Tensions

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Biden will confer following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The event has stirred threats and concerns of a wider Middle East conflict. Israel, implicated by Iran and Hamas, remained silent about Haniyeh's killing but confirmed killing a Hezbollah commander.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden will speak by phone on Thursday, the White House announced, following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran's capital, earlier this week.

The assassination has triggered threats of retaliation against Israel and heightened fears that the conflict in Gaza is escalating into a broader Middle East war. While Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of orchestrating the killing, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. Notably, Israel acknowledged killing a senior commander of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement in Beirut on Tuesday.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan provided limited commentary on the potential ramifications of Haniyeh's death on the ongoing Gaza conflict. "It is too soon to determine what impact his death will have on ceasefire negotiations in Gaza," he said, "especially given the broader dynamics and unfolding events across the region."

(With inputs from agencies.)