Statement by 57-nation bloc says it ‘holds Israel, the illegal occupying power, fully responsible for the heinous attack’.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has blamed Israel for the attack that killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh last week in Iran, which has vowed to retaliate.

A statement issued after an extraordinary meeting of the 57-member bloc on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia said it “holds Israel, the illegal occupying power, fully responsible for this heinous attack”, which it described as “a serious infringement” of Iran’s sovereignty.

The Gambia’s Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, whose country chairs OIC, said Haniyeh’s “heinous” assassination and the ongoing war in Gaza could lead to a regional conflict.

“The aggression and violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the assassination of a political leader on its soil is an act that cannot be viewed in isolation,” Tangara said.

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