ismail Haniyeh’s Martyrdom A moment-by-moment account of the plot is revealed.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was martyred in a mysterious explosion on July 31, 2023, at a government guesthouse located in a highly sensitive area of Tehran, after attending the inauguration ceremony of President Masoud Pazeshkian.
According to global news agencies, Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for this mysterious assassination. However, Israel neither confirmed nor denied the allegations.
A few days ago, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz revealed that his country was behind the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.
Following this statement, Israeli media disclosed details about the planning and delays in executing the plot to kill Ismail Haniyeh.
Israeli media reported that the operation was delayed until the inauguration of the new Iranian president to avoid further embarrassment for Iran. Otherwise, Haniyeh could have been targeted before the ceremony.
It’s worth noting that after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards initially misinformed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, claiming that Haniyeh had died in an Israeli missile attack.
According to Israeli media, the decision to assassinate Haniyeh was made immediately after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Haniyeh was residing in Qatar, but targeting him there could have jeopardized the ongoing negotiations for the release of hostages.
The options of Turkey, Russia, and Iran were considered for the assassination, as Haniyeh often visited these countries. However, an operation in Turkey could have provoked a severe reaction from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and similarly, Israel did not want to upset Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Thus, according to Israeli media, Iran was chosen as the most suitable option.
Haniyeh often stayed at a Revolutionary Guards guesthouse in Tehran’s affluent Saadatabad district.
Israeli intelligence assessed that targeting him in this area would make the operation relatively easier to plan.
Initially, Israel planned to assassinate Haniyeh on May 19, when he attended the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who had died in a helicopter crash.
However, due to the large number of civilians at the funeral and the risk of collateral damage, the plan was postponed at the last minute.
Haniyeh’s security was handled by an elite Revolutionary Guards team, making a direct attack unfeasible.
Israel waited for over two months and launched the operation when Haniyeh came to Iran to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Masoud Pazeshkian.
On the morning before the inauguration, an IED was discreetly placed near Haniyeh’s bed in his guesthouse room.
At around 1:30 AM, the explosive was detonated. The blast shook the guesthouse, causing significant damage, but it achieved its intended target: the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.
Within seconds, a medical team from the Revolutionary Guards arrived at Haniyeh’s room but found the Hamas leader dead.
Haniyeh’s deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, rushed to the room, fell to his knees, and wept at the sight of his bloodied leader.
Security analysts told Israeli media that such a complex operation would have been impossible without the involvement of an Iranian civilian, Revolutionary Guards personnel, or a Hamas official.
Following the incident, panic and fear spread within Iranian ranks. The head of the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, Ismail Qaani, disappeared from public view for weeks as efforts were made to determine how the plot had gone undetected.
It is claimed that a few hours after the assassination, Qaani personally called Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in tears, falsely claiming that Haniyeh had been killed in an Israeli missile attack.
The Supreme Leader immediately ordered retaliation against Israel.
However, it became even more embarrassing for Iran’s leadership when it was revealed that Haniyeh had not died in a missile attack but in a bomb explosion.
After this revelation, the Revolutionary Guards postponed retaliation, possibly to investigate the assassination and identify those responsible.
Two months later, on October 1, Iran launched a retaliatory attack against Israel, which the IDF, with assistance from the U.S. and Jordanian forces, largely thwarted.
It should be noted that after Haniyeh’s assassination, Yahya Sinwar was appointed as the leader of Hamas. However, he too was martyred on October 16 in a clash with Israeli forces in Rafah, a southern city in Gaza.
