New details in Ismail Haniyeh's assassination: Drone or bomb?
It has been claimed that the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was carried out with a bomb that had been planted in the guesthouse in advance.
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A new claim has emerged regarding the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on July 31.
The US newspaper The New York Times alleged that a bomb was secretly smuggled into a guesthouse managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps months before the assassination.
According to the newspaper's report, it is claimed that Haniyeh was killed as a result of the detonation of an explosive device that had been secretly planted in the guesthouse where he was staying about two months prior to the incident. The guesthouse is known to be part of a larger complex in northern Iran.
According to information provided by five Middle Eastern sources, once the bomb was placed in the guesthouse, it was confirmed to be inside the room and then detonated remotely. The explosion shook the building and caused some walls to collapse. This damage is consistent with previously published photographs.
Haniyeh was in Tehran on July 30 to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian and had met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei one day before the assassination. Although Iran and Hamas hold Israel responsible for Haniyeh's killing, Israel has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
When the news of Haniyeh's death broke, it was initially thought that Israel might have carried out the attack with an unmanned aerial vehicle or a missile fired from an aircraft. However, this theory raised questions about the possibility of Israel being able to penetrate Iranian airspace so deeply. The New York Times' investigation suggested that the attack may not have been carried out from the air, but rather with an explosive device planted in the guesthouse beforehand.
Three Iranian officials stated that this incident represents a major intelligence and security failure for Iran, describing it as a great embarrassment for the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The guesthouse is known as a venue where secret meetings are held and high-level figures are hosted.
ANOTHER CLAIM: DRONE ATTACK
Another claim regarding the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh came from Lebanese journalist Elia Manir. Manir shared important information about the details of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Manir stated that the attack was carried out in Tehran on July 31. He explained that the assassination took place at 01:45 at night as a result of a precision strike by a small drone on Haniyeh's room, and that Haniyeh and his bodyguard lost their lives in this attack.
Following warnings from Iranian security centers that Haniyeh was being tracked by Israel and was under threat, the Hamas leader was placed under the strictest protection as soon as he arrived in Tehran. Haniyeh was protected by special police protection units, the Ansar-ul Mehdi Protection Force, and Revolutionary Guard intelligence units.
The place where Haniyeh stayed was the "Isar Guesthouse," a complex belonging to the Revolutionary Guard located near the Saadabad Palace on Niyaz Zadeh Street, Tanabandeh Alley, in Zafaraniyeh. This guesthouse was protected under heavy security measures.
It was claimed that the assassination was carried out by determining Haniyeh's location via the WhatsApp application on his Qatari line. According to Manir, Israel installed spyware on Haniyeh's phone, identified the exact location of the house where the Hamas leader was staying, and carried out the drone and missile attack.