Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated in Tehran, as confirmed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday. Hamas accused Israel of being behind the attack, citing Israel’s previous threats to eliminate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders in retaliation for the group’s recent attack on Israel, resulting in casualties and hostages.
Israel, known for its silence on such operations typically carried out by its Mossad intelligence agency, did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Hamas stated that Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike on his Tehran residence following his attendance at Iran’s new president’s inauguration.
The late Ismail Haniyeh, who resided in exile in Qatar after leaving the Gaza Strip in 2019, was mourned by Hamas as a martyr. Yehya Sinwar, another top Hamas leader in Gaza, orchestrated the earlier attack. Haniyeh was in Tehran to partake in President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony, although no details were given on the circumstances of his death, with the Revolutionary Guard launching an investigation into the incident.
Iranian state television analysts swiftly pointed fingers at Israel for the assassination, while the White House remained silent initially. The timing of the incident is critical as the Biden administration continues efforts to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, alongside negotiations for the release of hostages.
Israel has been suspected of conducting a campaign of assassinations targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and related individuals. The killing of a prominent Iranian military nuclear scientist in 2020 further intensified tensions. The deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas since the October attack has resulted in thousands of Palestinian casualties, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants.
