A few hours after the assassination of senior Hezbollah leader Fouad Shuker by the Israeli Air Force in the Al-Dahiah neighborhood of Beirut, Iran officially confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh was killed early in the morning in Tehran, along with his bodyguard Wasim Abu Shaaban.
Hamas confirmed the assassination, blamed Israel, and vowed revenge.
Israel has remained silent on the matter, with Prime Minister Netanyahu instructing ministers not to comment publicly.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas condemned the assassination.
Israeli intelligence sources indicate that Ismail Haniyeh was aware of the planned attacks by Hamas on Israeli settlements near the Gaza border on October 7.
Reports from Tehran state that Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in their apartment at a guest house for foreign leaders.
The assassination was reportedly carried out using a missile launched from a distance toward the bedroom where Haniyeh was staying.
This event is a double blow to both Hamas and Iran.
Haniyeh played a crucial role in managing Hamas’s political strategies, building connections throughout the Muslim world, and securing donations to fund its terror activities.
He was a key figure in Hamas’s alignment with Shiite Iran, as opposed to Khaled Mashaal, who favors closer ties with the Sunni “Muslim Brotherhood” axis, including Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Iran faces criticism for failing to adequately secure Haniyeh on its soil, marking a significant security lapse.
This incident adds to other security failures in Iran, such as the assassination of Fakhri Mohsen Zadeh, the so-called father of Iran’s nuclear program, by the Israeli Mossad in November 2020.
Haniyeh’s decision to leave Doha, Qatar, and attend the Iranian president’s inauguration in Tehran proved fatal, providing an opportunity for Mossad to target him.
Prior to his assassination, Haniyeh met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nachala.
It is believed that the Israeli Mossad avoided targeting Haniyeh in Qatar for two reasons: Qatar’s role as a mediator in the Israeli hostages’ negotiations and operational considerations.
Hamas claims that Haniyeh’s assassination will not alter its campaign against Israel, which has previously seen the elimination of key leaders, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas.
The movement will elect a new leader to replace Haniyeh.
This assassination is another severe blow to Hamas’s morale and operations following the killing of Muhammad Deif, the supreme commander of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza.
Yahya Sinwar, a rival of Haniyeh, is likely to benefit from this development, as he commands the military wing and holds a crucial bargaining chip in the form of Israeli hostages.
Hamas asserts that Haniyeh’s assassination is part of an Israeli effort to pressure its leadership regarding the hostages and maintains that this will not alter its stance.
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh will not end the conflict in the Gaza Strip, as long as Yahya Sinwar and other members of Hamas’s military leadership remain active.
While Hamas directly blames Israel, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stated, “We are investigating the incident of Haniyeh’s death and will announce the results later.”
Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, condemned the assassination, calling it “a cowardly act that will not go unpunished.”
