The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad hired Iranian agents to plant explosives in the residence of former Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The report reveals that explosive devices were placed in three rooms of the Tehran guesthouse where Haniyeh was staying, and were detonated remotely from abroad. The original plan was to assassinate Haniyeh in May, when he attended the funeral of Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s former president. However, the operation was aborted due to the large crowds inside the building and the high risk of failure, The Telegraph stated, citing two Iranian officials.
Instead, the agents placed explosive devices in three rooms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) guesthouse in north Tehran where Haniyeh might stay. The agents were seen moving stealthily, entering and exiting multiple rooms within minutes, according to the report.
At 2 a.m. on Wednesday, the explosives were detonated remotely from abroad in the room where Haniyeh was staying. Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The report also stated that Mossad hired agents from the Ansar al-Mahdi protection unit. An IRGC official reported that additional explosive devices were discovered in two other rooms. Another Iranian official described the incident as a “humiliation for Iran and a huge security breach,” expressing confusion about how the attack occurred, suggesting that there might be higher-ups involved that remain unknown.
Ismail Haniyeh, a key figure in peace negotiations between Hamas and Israel, was assassinated at his residence in Tehran last Wednesday.
