"This is a powerful blow to Hamas." Danilov explains what the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh means

The elimination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, is a powerful blow to the group. It will partially contribute to the disorganization of the Islamist movement, at least for a short time.

This was stated by Serhiy Danilov, Deputy Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, in an interview with OBOZ.UA. "The situation is clear - the continuation of the Israeli program of targeted killings, when prominent terrorists or leaders of organizations they call terrorist are destroyed," he said.

The expert added that it is still unclear where the missile hit Haniyeh's residence in Tehran, but it is likely to be revealed "today or tomorrow."

"This is a powerful blow to Hamas and a reminder that Israel uses this tactic in its fight against its opponents," says Sergei Danilov.

As for the possible consequences of the elimination of one of the Hamas leaders, the expert believes that a significant escalation is unlikely:

"Hamas is weakened, it cannot do much. The question is how the Iranians will react. There are a lot of unknowns here. I suspect that nothing much will happen and there will be no significant escalation."

Danilov reminded that this is not the first assassination carried out by Israeli intelligence services in Iran.

"Ten years ago, when the Mossad (Israeli intelligence - Ed.) was trying to counter the Iranian nuclear program in Iran, many Iranian scientists related to the nuclear program were killed in Tehran. This is far from the first assassination carried out by Israeli special services on the territory of Iran," he said.

The elimination of Haniyeh will affect the negotiation process, as it will be "difficult for Hamas to resume it." The expert adds that the eliminated leader of the group was in fact "a seborite, a billionaire who loved the high life, wanted to live and did not directly lead the combat wing."

Haniyeh's assassination "will have no effect on Hamas becoming more radical or more willing to compromise," the expert says.

"It will partly result, at least for a short time, in disorganization of Hamas," Danilov said.