Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated while in Tehran, as confirmed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the assassination, suspicions have been cast on Israel due to their previous threats towards Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which resulted in the death of 1,200 individuals and the capture of around 250 hostages. Haniyeh had traveled to Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony, with no specific details provided on the exact circumstances of his death, as the Iranian Guard stated that the incident is currently under investigation.
Having left the Gaza Strip in 2019, Haniyeh had been living in exile in Qatar, while the immediate leader of Hamas in Gaza is Yehya Sinwar, who orchestrated the October 7 attack that led to the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. The timing of the assassination is particularly sensitive as the Biden administration has been actively involved in seeking a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas. CIA Director Bill Burns recently held discussions in Rome with senior officials from Israel, Qatar, and Egypt concerning the matter, while Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is also engaged in talks with U.S. allies in the region.
With no immediate response from the White House regarding the reports on Haniyeh’s assassination, Iranian state television analysts wasted no time in pointing fingers at Israel for the attack, although Israel has not officially commented – a common practice for their Mossad intelligence agency operations.
