New details have emerged in the Israeli covert assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while he was staying in Tehran to attend the country's presidential inauguration events.
Iran and Hamas' backers considered Haniyeh to be essentially akin to a top foreign diplomat or even head of state, and so at times Haniyeh was known to travel openly in places like Qatar, Iran, or other Gulf states. And yet the bombing that took is life is being widely viewed in Iran as an utterly humiliating security failure for the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was hosting the Hamas leader.
The NY Times is reporting Thursday of events the day prior that he was assassinated by "an explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official."
"The bomb had been hidden approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials," the report continues. "The guesthouse is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran."
Likely among the "seven Middle Eastern officials" cited as sources for the report include some Israeli intel officials themselves, given the level of specified details. No doubt they are 'spiking the football' and want the Iranians and the world to know the astounding level of success they had in penetrating IRGC security and protocol.
For an Israeli asset to be able to access an Iranian diplomatic house in Neshat - the upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran where the bombing took place - and then be able to pinpoint down to the moment the target be in a specific room is almost unbelievable and the stuff of a James Bond spy thriller.
"The bomb was detonated remotely, the five officials said, once it was confirmed that he was inside his room at the guesthouse," NYT continues, nothing that the blast also took out Haniyeh's bodyguard but left alive Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who was literally staying in the next room over.
"The explosion shook the building, shattered some windows and caused the partial collapse of an exterior wall, according to the two Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guards briefed on the incident," the report continues. A widely circulating photograph also appears to confirm this description of events.
The Times mentioned that there are alternative theories, however, such as the possibility of a small missile having struck Haniyeh's room, which is what Hamas' initial official statement late in the day Wednesday indicated. Neither Hamas nor the Iranians are likely to confirm these specific aspects of the alleged Mossad intel op, which could go down as the most daring in history.
Axios has meanwhile issued a follow-up report which has the following additional details via Israeli security sources:
- They added that the bomb was a high-tech device that used artificial intelligence.
- It was detonated remotely by Mossad operatives who were on Iranian soil after receiving intelligence that Haniyeh was indeed in the room.
- The IRGC said it has opened an investigation around the incident.
The Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly awakened in the middle of the night by IRGC Generals in order to be notified, after which he called an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council. That's when, NYT says, he "issued an order to strike Israel in retaliation, according to the three Iranian officials."
Has Mossad been able to breach the top echelons of the IRGC? It appears so...
If true, this means that the Revolutionary Guards' top intelligence unit actively provided information to Mossad:
— Levent Kemal (@leventkemaI) August 1, 2024
"It was detonated remotely by Mossad operatives who were on Iranian soil after receiving intelligence that Haniyeh was indeed in the room."https://t.co/Irt8yLkRnX
It's anyone's guess when or how this 'retaliation' will come. The April 13th drone and missile attack against Israel was highly telegraphed and limited, by all accounts. Likely Tehran will mount a more severe and less predictable attack this time, which could come at any moment, and probably in nighttime hours for a greater element of surprise.
