Palestinian Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Killed by Sophisticated Remote-Controlled Bomb in Tehran
According to a report by the New York Times, Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed on Wednesday morning by a “sophisticated remote-controlled bomb” placed in the Tehran residence where he was staying, rather than by a rocket as previously reported.
The newspaper, citing seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians and one American, reported that the bomb was planted in a building of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Tehran two months ago.
Iranian officials, members of the Guard, stated that the precision of the attack resembled the remote-controlled assault rifle used by the Israeli Mossad team to kill Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020.
There has been no official comment from Israel regarding Haniyeh’s killing, although suspicions have largely fallen on the country.
The American newspaper cited Middle Eastern officials as saying that Israeli intelligence had informed the U.S. and other Western governments about the details of the operation immediately after its completion.
“Some American officials who requested anonymity” concluded that Israel was responsible for the killing, the New York Times reported.
Haniyeh arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Massoud Pezeshkian.
The New York Times cited officials who said that a remote-detonated bomb killed Haniyeh and his bodyguard. The report noted that the residence was used for vacations, secret meetings, and hosting distinguished guests like Haniyeh.
The explosion shattered windows and partially collapsed a wall of the building, but the damage was minimal, indicating it was not hit by a rocket.
Israel had threatened to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following a deadly attack by Palestinian extremists from Gaza, led by Hamas, on southern Israeli territory on October 7 of last year, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and more than 250 hostages being taken.
