The head of Hamas’s political bureau Ismail Haniyyeh got assassinated in Tehran during an official visit for the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed early Wednesday when their building was struck, according to the statement from Hamas.
“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas mourns to our great Palestinian people, to the Arab and Islamic nation, and to all the free people of the world: brother, leader, martyr, Mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, who was killed in a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran,” the statement read.
Reports about the attack’s method vary. Yet, all of them blame Israel for the assassination, adding it to the expanding list of Israeli war crimes committed in the war. The New York Times reported that an explosive device, allegedly planted by Israel’s Mossad in Haniyeh’s residence two months prior, was detonated remotely. Axios corroborated that Mossad operatives were involved, claiming a high-tech device utilizing artificial intelligence was used to target Haniyeh after determining his exact location.
Conversely, Iranian news agency Farsnews indicated that while Israeli operatives were responsible, the residence was hit by a projectile. Initial investigations reportedly confirmed that the operation was orchestrated by Israel, which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has described as “a terrorist act by the Zionist regime.”
While Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for the assassination, Tel Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.
The assassination has ignited anger throughout Palestine and raised fears of a broader regional conflict amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Tensions are heightened as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel exchange fire along their border, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels target Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea and beyond.
Sources: Anadolu Agency – Al-Jazeera