A recent report reveals that an explosive device was placed under the bed of the assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by two Iranians recruited by the Israeli spy agency Mossad.
According to the Jewish Chronicle, the two Iranians were members of the Ansar al-Mahdi security unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was responsible for securing the building and its guests. Security camera footage showed the guards, after the assassination, stealthily moving through the hallway towards the room where Haniyeh was supposed to stay, using a key to enter. Three minutes later, they were seen calmly leaving the room, descending the stairs, and exiting the building to get into a black car. The parking lot guard recognized them and opened the gate without question. An hour later, Mossad extracted them from Iran.
The Mossad had been seeking the right moment for Haniyeh’s assassination, which presented itself when Haniyeh was invited to Tehran for the inauguration of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Mossad, with assistance from intelligence unit 8200, intercepted communications between the inauguration organizers and guests. Once Haniyeh confirmed his attendance, the plan to eliminate him at his usual guest house in Tehran was set into motion.
The assassination of Haniyeh on July 31 has heightened tensions in the Middle East, following Israel’s killing of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on July 30. Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of the assassination, with Iran threatening “harsh punishment.” Hezbollah is also expected to retaliate. This escalation coincides with an ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in nearly 40,000 Palestinian casualties since Hamas’s attack on October 7 of the previous year.
