“Escalation seems inevitable” after Hanye's assassination

Tehran's Middle East Strategic Research Center researcher Abbas Aslani said the assassination of Haniya would spread ripples within and outside the region.

“The assassination occurred right after the inauguration of the Iranian president and talks with senior Iranian officials, so the situation is also important,” Asrani told Al Jazeera.

“At the moment, escalation seems inevitable,” Aslani said, adding that the killings occurred just when Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was talking about dialogue and engagement with Western countries.

“Mr Netanyahu doesn't want this,” he said.

“The cease-fire may be over for the time being. This is because there is a risk that it will escalate into a regional war. The Israeli prime minister is doing everything possible to prolong his political life. He wants to continue the war [in Gaza], and I think this is meant to affect not only Tehran and the process in the region, but also Washington,” he said.

“He wants to influence American political movements. It's probably to weaken the Democratic Party and give Donald Trump more opportunities,” he added.