Iran: Preliminary investigation shows Israel's involvement in assassination of Hamas leader

According to sources, Mr. Haniyeh was on the fourth floor of the building in the Zafaraniyeh neighborhood of Tehran when the building was hit by a missile, causing part of the roof to collapse.

Earlier on July 31, Hamas also alleged that Mr. Haniyeh's death was the result of an Israeli attack on his residence in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Al Hadath TV reported that Mr. Haniyeh was killed in a direct missile attack. Hamas's deputy political leader, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said the assassination would be punished.

So far Tel Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attack.

However, observers have been skeptical of the information provided by Iranian officials. They said that a missile that can travel nearly 1,000 km and has such near-absolute accuracy would normally have great destructive power, enough to destroy the entire guesthouse. Meanwhile, images published in the media showed that the guesthouse was only damaged in a corner of a room on the 4th floor, and other guests in the same building were not injured.

After speaking with seven unnamed officials in the Middle East – including two Iranian officials and one American official – the New York Times said the senior Hamas official was assassinated by a bomb planted in a guest house and then detonated remotely.

The assassins knew that Iran would hold a new presidential election after Raisi's death and that the Hamas leader would be invited to Tehran as a guest of honor. Middle Eastern officials said Haniyeh had stayed at the guest house several times during his trips to Tehran.

The Basij al-Zahra guesthouse is part of the larger Neshat complex north of Tehran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is responsible for security at the facility.

The source revealed that the explosive device had been smuggled into and hidden in the building about two months ago. Citing two members of the IRGC, the newspaper said the bomb exploded in Mr. Haniyeh’s room, shattering several windows and collapsing part of the outer wall.

The bomb planted in the guest house was a high-tech explosive device, even equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). It is not yet clear what role AI played in hiding the bomb for so long, as well as keeping the explosive device in a state of readiness to be activated at any time.

Details of how the assassination plot got the bomb into the guest house are unclear.

“Israeli intelligence officials informed the US and other Western governments about the details of the operation shortly afterwards,” the five sources said.

Earlier, David Barnea, Director of Israel's Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad), pledged to eliminate anyone involved in planning or participating in Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The attack left at least 1,200 people dead and 250 people taken hostage.

The subsequent Israel-Hamas war has seen tensions escalate in the Middle East. Iran and Israel traded direct fire earlier this year, after Iran accused Israel of attacking an Iranian embassy complex in Syria.

Tensions have escalated to an unprecedented level after a senior Hamas official was assassinated in central Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the IRGC have publicly condemned the assassination and vowed retaliation.