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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran with suspicions pointing towards Israel as tensions escalate following recent conflicts.
Key Points
- Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced.
- Suspicion immediately fell on Israel, given recent vows to target Hamas leaders.
- Haniyeh was in Tehran for Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
- The assassination is under investigation, with no immediate details on how it occurred.
- The incident comes amid high tensions following Hamas’ attack on Israel in October.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, as confirmed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard early Wednesday. While no group has claimed responsibility for the killing, suspicions have immediately turned to Israel, which has vowed to eliminate Hamas leaders in the wake of the group’s deadly October 7 attack on Israel. That attack resulted in 1,200 deaths and approximately 250 hostages being taken.
Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday. The Revolutionary Guard provided no specific details about how the assassination was carried out, stating only that the attack is under investigation. Analysts on Iranian state television have pointed fingers at Israel. The Israeli government has remained silent on the incident, consistent with its typical response regarding operations attributed to its Mossad intelligence agency.
The White House has yet to issue a statement. This incident occurs at a particularly sensitive time, as the Biden administration has been working to broker a ceasefire and facilitate a hostage-release agreement between Hamas and Israel. CIA Director Bill Burns recently held discussions with senior officials from Israel, Qatar, and Egypt in Rome, while Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is in the region for talks with U.S. partners.
Israel has been suspected of running a prolonged assassination campaign targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and other key figures. A notable incident was the 2020 killing of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was attacked by a remote-controlled machine gun near Tehran, an operation widely attributed to Israel.
In the conflict since the October attack, more than 39,360 Palestinians have been killed and over 90,900 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties. As the investigation into Haniyeh’s assassination unfolds, the incident is likely to exacerbate regional tensions and impact ongoing diplomatic efforts.
