IDF Kills Hamas Leader, Hezbollah Commander in Separate Strikes

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed a senior leader of Hezbollah on Monday, and on Wednesday, reportedly assassinated the political leader of Hamas in a separate strike in Iran.

Beirut Strike: The strike against Hezbollah was in retaliation for a rocket attack that killed at least 12 youths on a soccer field in the Golan Heights, which Israel accused Hezbollah of perpetrating. 

Iran Strike: Hamas said Israel killed its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and his bodyguard in a strike on the building where he was staying in the capital city of Tehran, where he had attended Tuesday’s inauguration of the new Iranian president. Israel hasn't commented on the strike as of this writing.

How the Media Covered It: Many headlines from right-wing sources called Hezbollah's Golan Heights attack a "soccer field attack," alluding to the non-combatants killed, while left-wing headlines were more likely to say simply that the strike "killed 12." Fox News (Right bias) criticized the Washington Post (Lean Left) for publishing the headline "Israel Hits Targets In Lebanon" without mentioning Hezbollah's attack as a provocation. On Newsmax (Right), former Sen. Rick Santorum blamed "the Biden-Harris administration" for enabling the strike with an overly friendly position on Iran. Left and center outlets were more likely to mention fears that the strikes would widen the war in the Middle East. CNN (Lean Left) said Haniyeh's assassination throws the war between Israel and Hamas "into an unpredictable and dangerous new phase." Updated 7/31 at 7:57 am.