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Israel says Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif killed in Gaza before assassinations of Hamas, Hezbollah bosses

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Jerusalem — The Israeli military said Thursday that it has confirmed that the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July. The announcement comes a day after an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital killed Hamas’ top political leader.

The rapid events this week have left U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators scrambling to salvage talks for a cease-fire deal in Gaza as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other international diplomats try to avert an escalation into all-out regional war after the assassination in Tehran of Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh, Israel’s killing of a top Hezbollah commander in a Beirut strike and — now — Israel’s announcement of Deif’s death.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to reporters during a visit to Asia on Thursday, warned that, “right now, the path that the region is on is toward more conflict, more violence, more suffering, more insecurity, and it is crucial that we break the cycle, and that starts with a cease-fire that we’ve been working on, and I believe is not only achievable, it has to be achieved.”

Israel Palestinians Mideast Tensions
A graphic released by the Israel Defense Forces on Aug. 1, 2024 announces the killing of Hamas military wing commander Mohammed Deif. The Israeli military said it had confirmed that Deif was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July.

IDF via AP


He said achieving a truce “first requires all parties to talk to stop taking any escalatory actions. It also requires them to find reasons to come to an agreement, not to look for reasons to delay or say no to the agreement, and it’s urgent that all parties make the right choices in the days ahead.”

There was no immediate comment on the Israeli military’s claim by Hamas, which had previously said Deif survived the July strike in Gaza. A member of Hamas’ political bureau, Izzat al-Risheq, said in a statement Thursday that confirming or denying his death is the responsibility of the armed wing, known as the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades, which so far was silent.

The elimination of Haniyeh and Deif — two of Hamas’ most senior figures — brings a victory for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. It also puts him at a crossroads. It potentially presents him with a political off-ramp to end the war, allowing him to retreat from his lofty promises of “total victory” while showing Israelis that Hamas’ military capabilities suffered a debilitating blow.

It could also lead him to harden Israel’s position in cease-fire talks, with Israeli officials insisting the blows to Hamas will force it to compromise. Hamas too could dig in as well in the talks — or quit them entirely.

Israel believes that Deif, the head of Hamas’ military, and Yahya Sinwar, the top Hamas leader in Gaza, were the chief architects of the Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Sinwar is believed to remain in hiding in Gaza.

IDF handout image shows Leader of Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif
A photo said to show the leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif (right), in a location given as the Gaza Strip, that was provided by the Israel Defense Forces on Jan. 7, 2024.

Israel Defense Forces/Handout/REUTERS


Israel targeted Deif in a July 13 strike that hit a compound on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The military said at the time that another Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, was killed. More than 90 other people, including displaced civilians in nearby tents, were killed in the strike, Gaza health officials said at the time.

In a statement Thursday, the Israeli military said that “following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike.”

In its 10-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives in Gaza, Israel has killed some 39,480 Palestinians and wounded more than 91,100 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. More than 80% of the population of 2.3 million have been driven from their homes, the vast majority crammed into tent camps in the southwest corner of the territory, with limited food and water.

So far Netanyahu has said he is determined to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed. Far-right nationalist coalition partners, on whom he relies to stay in power, have threatened to bolt the government if he halts the war.

After the announcement on Deif, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the “defeat of Hamas is closer than ever.” He said the military would continue to “eliminate thousands of other terrorists until our security is restored and we bring the hostages home.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the strike that killed Deif was a “significant milestone” toward achieving the goals of the war. “The results of this operation reflect that Hamas is an organization in disintegration,” he wrote on X.

Deif was one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in the 1990s. He led the unit for decades through campaigns of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, volleys of rocket fire into Israel, and repeated past Israeli assaults on Gaza since Hamas took power there in 2007.

He remained a mysterious, underground figure in Gaza. He never appeared in public, was hardly ever photographed and only rarely was his voice heard in audio statements. He survived a string of Israeli assassination attempts.

Haniyeh’s killing in particular threw into disarray months of efforts at reaching a deal for a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage release. Haniyeh had been a main negotiator in those talks.

Qatari and Egyptian officials had tense exchanges with U.S counterparts over the assassination, said an Egyptian official with direct knowledge of the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal discussions.

While the U.S. has been pressing Egyptian and Qatari mediators to get Hamas to compromise, the Americans can’t “pressure the other party, Israel to … refrain from provocative acts,” the Egyptian official said, calling the assassination “reckless.”

Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, expressed frustration in a post on social media, saying: “Can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?”

Blinken said Wednesday that the U.S. had no prior knowledge of the strike in Tehran that killed Haniyeh.

The Egyptian official said no deal was likely in the near future since Hamas must now name Haniyeh’s replacement. Mediators had been waiting for Hamas’ response on the latest version of the deal. Instead, after Haniyeh’s funeral, expected Friday, he said they will reach out to Hamas officials to explore the next steps.

After Haniyeh’s assassination, Iran has vowed revenge against Israel, and the killing of Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut could also bring reprisals – raising fears of a wider spiral of escalation.

The Egyptian official now said the priority was preventing full-scale war.



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Sean “Diddy” Combs taken into federal custody in New York

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Sean “Diddy” Combs has been taken into custody by federal authorities in New York, CBS News confirmed Monday night. 

In recent months, the hip-hop mogul has faced multiple accusations of sexual abuse and physical violence. In March, Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents and other law enforcement officers due to a possible ongoing sex trafficking investigation, U.S. officials said at the time, but no charges were filed then. 

The charges against Combs on Monday were not immediately known. 

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs, said in a statement. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but he Is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Combs has faced a number of lawsuits in recent months involving allegations of sexual misconduct and violence. Combs and his representatives have denied all the accusations. 

In May, Combs apologized for a security video aired by CNN that appeared to show him attacking Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. He said his behavior was “inexcusable” and he takes “full responsibility” for his actions.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

contributed to this report.



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White House seeks to boost Secret Service funds after 2nd Trump shooting

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White House seeks to boost Secret Service funds after 2nd Trump shooting – CBS News


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The Biden administration is asking Congress to increase Secret Service funding following Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. This request comes about two weeks before money for the federal government runs out. CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane has the latest.

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9/16: The Daily Report with John Dickerson

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9/16: The Daily Report with John Dickerson – CBS News


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John Dickerson reports on the status of the investigation into Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt against former President Trump, TikTok’s appeal as it faces a possible ban in the U.S., and what’s on the campaign agenda with just 50 days to go until the election.

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