The chief of the political bureau of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran early on Wednesday by the Israeli regime. He was invited to Iran as a guest to take part in Iran’s new president’s inauguration ceremony.

We reached out to Marc Finaud a senior advisor and associate fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and former French diplomat to discuss the issue and consequences of such an unlawful terrorist act with her.

Following is the full text of the interview:

How can the provocative assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran during President Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony affect the Iranian new administration’s efforts to mend ties with the West?

This is a real challenge. In fact, sabotaging any resumption of talks with the United States and the West, especially about Iran’s nuclear program, was Netanyahu’s goal in launching this new targeted assassination in Tehran. The Israeli Prime Minister seeks to draw Washington into a regional war, expecting American support thanks to the presidential electoral campaign. But this is a dangerous bet, and Iran should avoid falling into this trap. A regional war will be in nobody’s interest.

How do you assess this act of Israeli regime and Iran’s right to respond based on international law and the UN charter?

This is of course an act totally contrary to principles and rules of international law regarding respect for territorial integrity and treatment of enemy combatants. Iran has a right of legitimate self-defense according to art. 51 of the UN Charter applicable in case of an act of aggression, but Iran is also bound by the other rules of international law that require proportionality and prohibit any targeting or civilians or civilian objects. According to the laws of armed conflict, the fact that Israel has consistently violated such laws cannot be used as an excuse by Iran for violating them in its turn.

What can be the dangerous consequences of this act for the region?

As we can see, there is a high risk of escalation towards a total regional war involving Israel supported by the United States and Iran with its allies, in which the most likely victims will be civilian populations everywhere. If Iran sincerely wishes to support the Palestinians in Gaza and the Lebanese Shiites, it should rather promote a negotiated ceasefire mediated by Arab countries and other actors. It should use its international contacts, especially the BRICS, to achieve such a solution.