Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran, Hamas blames Israel
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the resistance Palestinian movement Hamas, has been killed in an attack in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
July 31, 2024
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, a billionaire who ordered murder from luxurious exile in Doha, Qatar, was reportedly killed early Wednesday in Tehran, Iran, after the presidential inauguration.
Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration of new president Masoud Pezeshkian and met with “Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei, together with the leaders of other terrorist groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis.
WATCH Iran International English on X: "Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Iran’s new president hugged and exchanged kisses following Masoud Pezeshkian’s speech in support of Palestine during his inauguration ceremony in Tehran, a video of the ceremony shows " / X
Multiple news sources, citing Iranian television, say that Haniyeh was killed and that Hamas confirmed the death.
Iran’s PressTV reported:
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the resistance Palestinian movement Hamas, has been killed in an attack in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Wednesday morning that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their residence was hit in Tehran.
The statement said the attack is under investigation and the results will be announced later in the day.
The New York Times confirmed the news, citing Iran’s terrorist Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps:
Ismail Haniyeh, one of the most senior Hamas leaders, was targeted and killed in Iran, according to a statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps on Tuesday.
Hamas accused Israel of killing Mr. Haniyeh, who led the Hamas political operations from exile in Qatar, in Tehran. Hamas made the statement on its official Telegram account.
The news came hours after Israel confirmed that it had killed Hezbollah’s second-in-command, Fuad Shukr “Sayyid Muhsan,” who was responsible for rocket attacks on Israel and the 1983 U.S. Marines barracks bombing in Beirut.
This wanted poster released by the U.S. Department of State Rewards for Justice program shows Talal Hamiyah, left, and Fu’ad Shukr. A Hezbollah official said Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017 that multimillion dollar rewards offered by the Trump administration in return for information leading to the arrest of its operatives are part of ongoing U.S. efforts to “demonize” the group. The official was reacting on Wednesday to the State Department announcing a total of $12 million in rewards for information leading to the location, arrest or conviction of two senior leaders of the Lebanese Shiite militant group. (Rewards for Justice via AP)
Israel also killed Haniyeh’s three sons in a targeted strike in Gaza in April. It remains unclear what the strike on Haniyeh will mean for hostage negotiations, in which he played an indirect role via Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
The Hamas terrorist organization announced on Wednesday morning that the organization's leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was eliminated in the Iranian capital of Tehran.
Earlier, media outlets in Iran, citing the Revolutionary Guards, reported that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in an attack on the home in which they were staying in Tehran.
Saudi media reported that Haniyeh was killed in his bedroom by a precision-guided missile that was launched towards him at 2:00 a.m. Tehran time.
Haniyeh was visiting Tehran in order to take part in the swearing-in ceremony of the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, which took place on Tuesday.
In a statement, Hamas blamed Israel for the elimination, saying, "The Islamic resistance movement Hamas mourns its leader Ismail Haniyeh, who died as a result of a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran, after participating in the swearing-in ceremony of the new Iranian president."
Hamas political bureau member Mousa Abu Marzouq commented on the elimination of Haniyeh, and said that "the assassination of Commander Ismail Haniyeh is a cowardly act and will not go unanswered."
During the visit to Tehran, Haniyeh met with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among others.
Unlike Hamas, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards did not point an accusing finger at Israel for the elimination and would only say, "We are investigating the scope of the elimination of Haniyeh in Tehran and will announce the results of the investigation later."
Israel has not commented on the reports thus far.
The announcement that Haniyeh had been eliminated came hours after the IDF confirmed that in a targeted, intelligence-based elimination, Israeli Air Force fighter jets eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organization's most senior military commander and the head of its Strategic Unit, Fuad Shukr "Sayyid Muhsan", in the area of Beirut.
Fuad served as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's right-hand man and was Nasrallah's adviser for planning and directing wartime operations, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.
Fuad Shukr has directed Hezbollah's attacks on the State of Israel since October 8th, and he was the commander responsible for the murder of the 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years, the statement continued.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said following the elimination of Shukr, "We eliminated the most senior commander in Hezbollah - Nasrallah's right-hand man. We will not allow harm to civilians, and Hezbollah activity near the border. We do not seek a war, but we are well prepared for it. Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into escalation."
"We have scenarios for all the arenas and all the events, our preparedness is very high, and there is no need to provide any more details to our enemy," he added.
This is a developing story.
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