Iraq’s leading Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, has issued a grave warning about the potential for a devastating regional conflict following the recent killings of two prominent Iran-backed militant leaders.
Sistani called for an immediate end to the “genocidal war” in Gaza, where an Israeli airstrike on Saturday reportedly targeted a school sheltering displaced Palestinians, resulting in over 90 casualties, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
In a rare public statement since the outbreak of the 10-month-old conflict, Sistani condemned the “massacre” in Gaza, attributing it to the ongoing Israeli military actions. He expressed concern that the recent assassinations of key figures in Hamas and Hezbollah have significantly escalated the risk of broader clashes with potentially catastrophic outcomes for the region.
The cleric appealed to the global community to take a stand against the “terrible brutality” unfolding in Gaza and called on Muslims worldwide to unite in demanding an end to the violence.
The tensions escalated further following the July 31 assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, an attack widely attributed to Israel. Just hours earlier, Israel had targeted and killed Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander of Hezbollah, in Beirut.
These high-profile killings, which have sparked vows of retaliation from both Iran and Hezbollah, are seen as part of a dangerous cycle of violence that threatens to ignite a wider regional conflict.
Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that the airstrike on the school resulted in one of the deadliest single incidents since the start of the Gaza war. Israel’s military, however, claimed the building was being used as a command center by militants, although the death toll remains unverified by independent sources.
