TEHRAN: Iran has initiated a sweeping investigation into the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh by Israel in a “short-range projectile” launched from outside of his accommodation in Tehran.
The Iranian’s authorities have arrested 25 people including senior intelligence officers, military officials, and staff from a military-run guesthouse in Tehran, the New York Times reported.
The arrests follow a “huge and humiliating security breach” that allowed the assassination of the top Hamas leader.
The New York Times noted that the intensity of Iran’s response reflects the severity of the security failure, as the assassination occurred at a highly secured compound shortly after the swearing-in of Iran’s new president.
According to the Telegraph, Israel’s Mossad is alleged to have hired Iranian security agents to plant explosives in three separate rooms of the guesthouse where Haniyeh was staying.
Earlier reports from the New York Times revealed that Haniyeh was killed by a bomb smuggled into the guesthouse, with the explosion occurring around 2 a.m. local time.
The remotely detonated bomb caused significant damage, shaking the building, shattering windows, and partially collapsing an exterior wall. The blast also resulted in the death of a bodyguard.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on Saturday that Israel was responsible for the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
According to the Guards, Haniyeh was killed by a “short-range projectile” fired from outside his accommodation in Tehran. The projectile, which had a warhead weighing approximately 7 kilograms, caused a significant explosion.
The Guards also alleged that the attack had US support.
