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Hamas says its leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on his residence in Tehran, Iran. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also confirmed the assassination but did not say how it occurred. Israel has vowed to kill Haniyeh and other leaders of Hamas over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage. The apparent assassination comes at a precarious time, as the Biden administration has tried to push Hamas and Israel to agree to a temporary cease-fire and hostage-release deal. In Israel’s war against Hamas since the October attack, more than 39,360 Palestinians have been killed.

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has extended his party's control over the media, directly affecting informed democratic participation. Opposition politicians have long complained that they only get five minutes of air time every four years on public television, the legal minimum, to present their platforms before elections. His Fidesz party has won four consecutive two-thirds majorities in parliament, but is now facing its stiffest challenge yet from a former insider who has set up his own party. Opposition lawmakers and independent analysts say many Hungarians simply aren't aware of corruption scandals and other abuses because they aren't reported by media outlets loyal to Fidesz.