Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated in Tehran, according to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The attack was blamed on Israel by Hamas, who stated that Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike on his residence in Tehran following his attendance at the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
Haniyeh had been living in exile in Qatar since leaving the Gaza Strip in 2019. The current leader of Hamas in Gaza is Yehya Sinwar, who was the mastermind behind the October 7 terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of 250 hostages.
While Israel has not yet responded to the allegations, analysts on Iranian state television have already pointed fingers at Israel for the assassination. The White House has also not issued an immediate reaction to the news.
The timing of this assassination is particularly sensitive as the Biden administration has been working to broker a temporary cease-fire and hostage-release deal between Hamas and Israel. CIA Director Bill Burns recently met with officials from Israel, Qatar, and Egypt in Rome to discuss the ongoing conflict.
Israel has a history of targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and individuals associated with the country’s atomic program. In 2020, a top Iranian military nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed in a similar attack outside Tehran.
Since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group has resulted in the deaths of over 39,360 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. It is important to note that this count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has raised tensions in the region and put further strain on the already fragile relationship between Israel and Hamas. As more details emerge about the circumstances surrounding his death, it is likely that the situation will continue to escalate.
