Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, reportedly planted a remote-controlled bomb at a guest house in northern Tehran at least two months before the killing of Ismail Haniyeh (1962-63 - July 31, 2024), the Chief (Political Bureau) of the Palestinian Hamas Movement! The Hamas leader spent the final night of his life at that guest house on July 30, 2024. The New York Times made this revelation in a report published on August 1, 2024, citing several officers of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the Iranian Army.
It may be noted that Haniyeh, who used to live in Doha, arrived in Tehran on July 30 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He went to a government guest house just hours after attending the event. He was scheduled to return to Qatar on July 31. In a statement, Hamas initially claimed that an airstrike was carried out on the guest house at around 2am on July 31. According to the Palestinian Movement, Haniyeh, along with one of his bodyguards, were killed by the Zionist Regime! It added: "Haniyeh was killed in a Zionist raid at his residence in Tehran. Revenge is inevitable due to serious provocation." Although Mossad has been accused of involvement in Haniyeh's assassination by the Arab World and some other countries, Tel Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied being behind the killing of Hamas chief.
Meanwhile, the US daily has claimed that the assassination of Haniyeh has proven the presence of Israeli moles in Iran's top administration. In 2020, two senior IRGC officials had made a similar claim. They stated that Mossad eliminated Iranian nuclear physicist and scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi (1958 - November 27, 2020) with a remote-controlled machine gun! Mahabadi was considered as the chief of Iran's nuclear programme. Mossad, seemingly, has used the same technology to eliminate Haniyeh as the Hamas leader has been killed with the help of a remote-controlled bomb!
The two officials of the IRGC informed the New York Times that the blast knocked out windows and part of a wall of the guest house where Haniyeh was spending the night. However, the main building remains intact! Hence, it is evident that no missiles hit the guest house from outside. According to the IRGC, a remote-controlled bomb was planted in Haniyeh's room and it was detonated when the Hamas leader and his bodyguard were sleeping in that room! On August 3, the IRCG claimed that Haniyeh was killed by a short-range projectile with a warhead of about 7kg! Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khameini ordered a direct attack on Israel to avenge the assassination of Haniyeh. Soon after receiving his message, the National Military Council of Iran held an emergency meeting on July 31 (2024) night. In such a scenario, it is feared that the war situation in West Asia may become more critical.
Sophisticated Device Smuggled Into The Room
(Talk Diplomacy) Some US and Middle Eastern officials, too, believe that Israel was behind the assassination of Haniyeh. According to them, a sophisticated device (remote-controlled bomb) was smuggled into the room of the guest house (where the Hamas leader was staying) about two months prior to this incident!
Initial reports incorrectly indicated that a missile strike was responsible for Haniyeh's demise. Later, it was revealed that the blast caused minimal structural damage, indicating the use of a carefully planted bomb rather than a missile. This precision attack suggests extensive planning and surveillance.
The assassination of Haniyeh is a significant embarrassment for the IRGC, which operates the guest house. Iranian officials, including General Ismail Ghaani, immediately informed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei of the mishap.
This operation follows a series of high-profile Israeli actions against regional targets, including a recent airstrike in Gaza that killed Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (popularly known as Mohammed Deif) and a missile strike in Beirut that claimed the life of Hezbollah Commander Fuad Shukr. The death of Haniyeh is part of a broader Israeli campaign against militant leaders in response to recent attacks, including the devastating October 7 (2023) assault on Israel by Hamas.
Political analysts have opined that as Israel has continued to increase its provocations with its latest assassination of the Hamas leader, the move has jeopardised ceasefire talks, apart from raising the prospects of spreading its war in the Gaza Strip into a regional conflict.
With inputs from Talk Diplomacy.
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