00:00Hello and welcome back to Kobra Post breaking news.
00:03Hamas leader Yehia Sinwar might be dead
00:06Top Israeli and American officials would stay in close contact throughout the morning as
00:11the Israeli military worked to confirm that a body found in the rubble in northern Rafah
00:15was Sinwar.
00:17It was around 5.30 a.m. Thursday in Washington, D.C., that senior U.S. officials first got
00:23word and photographs from their Israeli counterparts.
00:27But even the pictures of Sinwar's body had senior U.S. officials feeling confident that
00:31the mastermind of the October 7 attacks had been killed, according to a senior U.S. official.
00:38There had been significant leads about Sinwar's whereabouts in the past, and even a few moments
00:43when U.S. officials believed the Israeli military had gotten close to the terrorist leader.
00:48That Sinwar was ultimately killed in an operation that was not intended to target him made the
00:53development, coming just days after the one-year anniversary of the start of the Israel-Hamas
00:58war, all the more remarkable.
01:01The news today did come as a surprise, a welcome surprise.
01:05The official told CNN, describing Sinwar's death as a hugely significant, momentous moment.
01:11President Joe Biden said that for the Israeli people, Sinwar's death was comparable to Osama
01:16bin Laden's death for Americans in 2011, but U.S. officials are reticent to make any
01:21predictions about what that will ultimately mean for the volatile region.
01:26Hamas operatives were certain to be reeling from the news and figuring out what's next.
01:31Israel's retaliation against Iran for its October 1 missile attack is expected within
01:36days, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will need time to determine how
01:42to handle the next stage of the Gaza conflict.
01:45Netanyahu's phone call with Biden on Thursday was brief, according to the official, and
01:50the prime minister made clear that while hostages must come out of Gaza, he would only
01:55end the war under terms that he could accept.
01:58A Hamas leader, Yehia Sinwar, believed by Israel to be chief architect of the militant
02:03group's deadly October 7, 2023, terror attack that set off the war in Gaza, was killed by
02:10Israeli forces, officials said.
02:13Or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sinwar's death marked the beginning of the
02:17day after Hamas.
02:19He vowed that Israel would continue fighting Hamas in Gaza until all hostages are returned
02:24home.
02:25In a call discussing Sinwar's death, Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed there
02:31was an opportunity to advance the release of the hostages in Gaza.
02:35U.S. officials said they would redouble their efforts with mediators to push for a ceasefire
02:40deal.
02:41Despite optimism that Sinwar's death could bring a Gaza deal closer to fruition, two
02:46sources told CNN that Israel's approach to Iran and its proxies in other countries are
02:51seen as distinct operations.
02:54Israel's pending retaliation against Iran could come within days, one source said.
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