Hidden in the guest house

Hamas leader Haniyeh was killed with a bomb

According to the New York Times, the leader of the Islamist Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, is said to have been killed by the explosion of a bomb.

(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Not a targeted air strike, but a bomb: The New York Times reports that the leader of the Islamist Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by a bomb explosion in Iran. 

The explosive device is said to have been planted in a guest house for Iranian state guests two months before Haniyeh's trip to Tehran, the New York Times reported, citing seven officials from the Middle East region, including two Iranians, and a US government official. 

Iran accuses Israel
Haniyeh was the victim of a targeted attack in Tehran on Wednesday night. Hamas and Iran accuse their arch-enemy Israel of being responsible. Israel has not yet officially responded to the accusations. The Hamas leader was in Tehran on the occasion of the swearing-in of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. A few hours before his death, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had received him.

Bomb activated by remote detonation
The bomb was activated by remote detonation, wrote the "New York Times", citing its informants. Beforehand, the assassins are said to have convinced themselves that Haniyeh was in his room in the guest house. A bodyguard died with him in the attack. The Hamas leader had already stayed in the guest house, for which the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are responsible for security, on previous visits to Tehran.

According to the report, the assassins apparently knew how to exploit various security loopholes in the Iranian military apparatus. This would have allowed them to smuggle a bomb into a building that was actually very well secured. The explosive device also remained undetected for several weeks. According to Iranian officials, this was a catastrophic failure on the part of the Iranian secret services and a huge embarrassment for the Revolutionary Guards.

Hezbollah commander also killed
A few hours before Haniyeh's death in Tehran, Israel had killed the high-ranking Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Like the Palestinian Hamas, the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon is allied with Iran. Tehran and Hezbollah have threatened Israel with massive retaliation following the attacks. Observers fear that the renewed escalation could trigger a major war in the region.