Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, was murdered in Tehran, the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed on Wednesday. Haniyeh was allegedly assassinated at his Tehran home, along with one of his guards. From his exile in Qatar, Ismail Haniyeh oversaw the political operations of Hamas.
Eliminated pic.twitter.com/YX9xzmugOx
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) July 31, 2024
IRGC Confirmation and Investigation
According to the IRGC statement, an investigation is being conducted to determine what caused the occurrence. “Ismail Haniyeh’s house in Tehran was attacked early this morning, leading to the death of both him and one of his bodyguards. The Revolutionary Guards declared, “The cause is being looked into and will be revealed soon.”
In addition, the statement expressed sympathy for Haniyeh’s passing to the combatants of the Resistance Front, the Muslim world, and the Palestinian people. The Islamist group alleged in a statement that Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike on his Tehran home and called it a “treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.”
Hamas’ Accusations and Response
The head of Hamas was present at Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration on Tuesday. Alongside him was Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. On X, Khamenei posted photos from his meeting with Haniyeh. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) responded to this statement by stating that Khamenei met with the leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas, who have been attempting to assassinate Israelis.
“Did someone ask for a photo op featuring Iran’s leaders and those of their proxies?” the IDF declared. Iran’s Khamenei met with leaders of two terrorist organizations who have been trying to kill Israelis with Iranian-made and financed weapons: Ziyad-al-Nakhalah of Islamic Jihad and Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. We can only speculate that they discussed how to kill more Israelis with Iranian money while hoping Nasrallah of Hezbollah may accompany them.”
Reactions and Implications
Israel’s military, meanwhile, declared itself “fully prepared for any scenario,” according to The New York Times.”Our preference is to end hostilities without escalating the conflict,” stated Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari.
Haniyeh’s three sons perished in an Israeli Air Forces airstrike in April of this year. Amir Haniyeh, a cell commander in the Hamas military wind, as well as Mohammad and Hazem Haniyeh, were identified as the three sons. The IDF said that Mohammad and Hazem Haniyeh were also Hamas agents.