ATHENS 

Greece’s major left-wing opposition party on Wednesday denounced the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and attack on senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut.

“Communist Party of Greece (KKE) denounces the new murderous attack by Israel in Beirut which, combined with the assassination of the leader of Hamas in Tehran, leads to the unpredictable escalation of the war and the general turmoil in the Middle East,” the party said in a statement.

“The well-known pretexts used by the occupying state of Israel, with the support of the USA - NATO - EU, cannot hide the repeated and ongoing aggressive actions against Lebanon, the long-term occupation of territories in Lebanon and Syria, the Golan Heights and of course the genocide that is being carried out against the people of Palestine with over 40,000 dead,” it added.

Accusing the government of transmitting the Israeli propaganda and continuing to improve cooperation with Israel in multiple fields, the party said: “It is now necessary to strengthen the fight against Israeli crimes and the-complicity of the Greek government in them, to express popular solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon, but also with every people who are confronted with these imperialist crimes.”

Hamas said earlier on Wednesday that Haniyeh, the head of its political bureau, was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his residence in the Iranian capital Tehran.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military struck southern Beirut to target a senior Hezbollah commander in retaliation for an attack Saturday on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

While Israel blamed Hezbollah for Saturday's attack, the group denied any responsibility.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least three people were killed in the Israeli strike on Beirut and 74 people were injured.