SINGAPORE: The United States was “not aware of or involved in” the killing of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday (Jul 31).
He was speaking to CNA during his two-day official visit to Singapore, hours after it was reported that Haniyeh – a key figure in the Gaza ceasefire talks – was killed in his residence in Iran’s capital Tehran.
When asked if the killing is going to change how the war progresses, Blinken said: “It’s very hard to speculate, and I’ve learned over many years never to speculate on the impact one event may have on something else.”
Instead, Blinken stressed on the importance of getting a ceasefire to end the nine-month war, saying: “We will continue to labour that for as long as it takes to get there.”
He added: “It’s vitally important to help end the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. It’s vitally important to get the hostages home, including a number of Americans.
“It’s vitally important to hopefully put things on a better path for more enduring peace and more enduring security, so that focus remains.”
Blinken arrived in Singapore on Tuesday, his latest stop as part of his 18th trip to the Indo-Pacific region.
His six-country tour of Asia from Jul 25 to Aug 3 also includes Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Mongolia.
During his Singapore visit, Blinken met Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.
On Wednesday, the US and Singapore signed a deal, commonly known as a “123 Agreement”, to study how nuclear technology can support climate and energy needs.