9 months ago
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Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by an explosive device hidden in a complex where he was known to stay as long as two months before his assassination on Wednesday, according to the New York Times.
Citing five Middle Eastern officials, the bomb was hidden in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-run guesthouse in the Neshat compound in northern Tehran, the report states.
The newspaper details that the explosion, which occurred around 2am local time, was triggered remotely and caused significant damage. It shook the building, shattered windows, and partially collapsed an exterior wall.
The meticulous planning behind the attack was such that, despite the proximity of Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who was staying next door, his room sustained minimal damage, as reported by two Iranian officials.
The assassination of Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian, has sparked speculation about the method of his killing.
Reports, including those from Iranian state media, suggest he may have been targeted by a drone or a precision-guided missile, with special forces in Tehran directing the strike from nearby windows.
Another theory proposed by Iranian media is that Haniyeh's phone was intercepted, allowing his location to be tracked via GPS.
To date, Iranian officials have not commented on the specific circumstances surrounding the death of the figure who had been the key bridge between Iran and Hamas since 2017.
The report lacks several key explanations, including why Haniyeh, who had stayed at the guesthouse multiple times during his visits to Tehran, was targeted on this occasion without clarifying the specific reasons for the timing of the attack.
However, if the New York Times reports prove to be accurate, it contradicts statements by Pezeshkian’s supporters that the attack was aimed at his new administration, suggesting that planning began well before his election.
‘Reformist’ journalist and political activist Ahmad Zeidabadi stated on Thursday that the "primary objective" of the attack on Haniyeh was to "destabilize and potentially paralyze the Pezeshkian government from the outset."
Regardless of the method employed, it is evident that even Iranian officials acknowledge a significant failure on Iran's part to protect Haniyeh, reflecting a profound lapse in adequate security.
According to three Iranian officials speaking to the New York Times, such a breach "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 Mr. Haniyeh."
Some officials such as IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani’s deputy and former MP, Mansour Haghighatpour, have even suggested that a purge within the security forces is necessary.
He condemned the assassination for the impact it will have on Iran's security apparatus, telling Rouydad 24 that the killing "casts a negative light on Iran's security officials". He called for accountability among certain political, military, and security officials, suggesting that "some may need to be dismissed."
The conservative Iranian newspaper Jomhouri-e Eslami also criticized the security forces for failing to eliminate infiltrators within their ranks.
The article condemned the focus on "getting revenge" rather than preventing terror acts and recommended a "comprehensive purge of intelligence and security agencies" to safeguard against such assassinations.
