Iran has asserted that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a short-range missile, contradicting previous reports that attributed his death to an explosive device planted in his room. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran has placed the blame squarely on Israel, vowing swift and decisive retaliation.
In a statement released on Saturday, the IRGC declared that Haniyeh was killed by a “short-range projectile”, according to Reuters. The IRGC further detailed that the projectile carried a warhead weighing approximately 7 kg. The IRGC declared that they will respond to the assassination in a manner and at a time of their choosing, emphasizing that revenge for the attack will be “severe and [taken] at an appropriate time, place, and manner” against the “adventurous and terrorist Zionist regime,” as stated in their statement. Notably, the IRGC refrained from directly naming Israel, as Iran maintains its stance of denying Israel’s right to exist and remains committed to its destruction.
However, The New York Times has presented a contrasting narrative, reporting that Haniyeh was killed by a bomb planted in advance within his room. The newspaper cited sources within the Iranian government, stating that Iranian agents had strategically placed explosives within the room of the IRGC guesthouse where Haniyeh was residing. Upon confirmation of Haniyeh’s presence in the room, the explosives were remotely detonated, as reported by The Times.
The targeted nature of the assassination explains the selective casualties. Only Haniyeh and his accompanying bodyguard perished in the attack, while even the guest staying in the adjacent room, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah, remained unharmed.
Further challenging the Iranian claim of a missile attack, Farnaz Fassihi, a journalist for The Times, has reported that the IRGC is deliberately disseminating the false claim that a missile killed Haniyeh. The conflicting accounts surrounding the incident raise questions regarding the true circumstances of Haniyeh’s death and underscore the volatile tensions persisting between Iran and Israel.
