INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ismail Haniyeh (Photo: Reuters)6 min read Last Updated : Aug 01 2024 | 9:10 PM ISTBy Ronen BergmanMark Mazzetti and Farnaz Fassihi
Ismail
Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, was assassinated on Wednesday by an explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he
was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official.
The bomb had been hidden
approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials
The guesthouse is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an
The bomb was detonated remotely, the five officials said, once it was confirmed that he was inside his room at the guesthouse
The blast also killed a bodyguard.
The explosion shook the building, shattered some windows and caused the partial collapse of an exterior
wall, according to the two Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guards briefed on the incident
Qatar, had stayed at the guesthouse several times when visiting Tehran, according to the Middle Eastern officials
All of the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details about the assassination.
Iranian officials and Hamas
said Wednesday that Israel was responsible for the assassination, an assessment also reached by several US officials who requested anonymity
The assassination threatened to unleash another wave of violence in the Middle East and upend the ongoing negotiations to end the war in
Haniyeh had been a top negotiator in the cease-fire talks.
Israel has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the killing, but
Israeli intelligence officials briefed the United States and other Western governments on the details of the operation in the immediate
aftermath, according to the five Middle Eastern officials.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony J
Blinken said that the United States had received no advance knowledge of the assassination plot.
In the hours after the killing,
speculation immediately focused on the possibility that Israel had killed Haniyeh with a missile strike, possibly fired from a drone or a
plane, similar to how Israel had launched a missile on a military base in Isfahan in April.
That missile theory raised questions about
how Israel might have been able to evade Iranian air defense systems again to execute such a brazen airstrike in the capital.
As it
guarded compound that allowed a bomb to be planted and to remain hidden for many weeks before it would eventually be triggered.
Such a
breach, three Iranian officials said, was a catastrophic failure of intelligence and security for Iran and a tremendous embarrassment for
the Guards, which uses the compound for retreats, secret meetings and housing prominent guests like Haniyeh.
How the bomb was stashed
in the guesthouse remained unclear
The Middle Eastern officials said that the planning for the assassination took months and required extensive surveillance of the compound
The two Iranian officials who described the nature of the assassination said they did not know how or when the explosives were planted in
The Qatari government has been mediating the negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a cease-fire in Gaza.
The deadly blast early
Wednesday shattered windows and collapsed a portion of the wall of the compound, photographs showed and the Iranian officials said
It appeared to do minimal damage beyond the building itself, as a missile probably would have done.
At around 2 a.m
local time, the device exploded, according to the Middle Eastern officials, including the Iranians
Startled building staff members, the officials said, ran to find the source of the tremendous noise, leading them to the room where Haniyeh
was staying with a bodyguard.The compound is staffed with a medical team which rushed to the room immediately after the explosion
The team declared that Haniyeh had died immediately
The team tried to revive the bodyguard, but he, too, was dead.
The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, was
staying next door, two of the Iranian officials said
His room was not badly damaged, suggesting precise planning in the targeting of Haniyeh.
Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy commander of
officials.
Among the people immediately notified, said the three Iranian officials, was Gen
Ismail Ghaani, the commander in chief of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the Revolutionary Guards, which works closely with Iranian
allies in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah
after the blast, the Revolutionary Guards issued a statement that Haniyeh had been killed
he issued an order to strike Israel in retaliation, according to the three Iranian officials.
Tehran had already been under
commanders and dignitaries from 86 countries gathering at Parliament in central Tehran for the ceremony.
Haniyeh had looked cheerful
and triumphant on Tuesday during the swearing in, hugging the new president after he delivered his inaugural speech, and the two men raised
their hands together, making the victory sign.
In Iran, the method of assassination was the subject of rumor and dispute
The Tasnim News Agency, the media outlet for the Guards, reported that witnesses said an object like a missile had hit the window of
Barnea said, referring to the killing of Israeli athletes by terrorists at the 1972 Olympics.First Published: Aug 01 2024 | 9:10 PMIST
