Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh
On 31 July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an Israeli attack. Haniyeh was killed in his accommodation in a military-run guesthouse after attending the inauguration ceremony for Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, condemned this assassination and said that Haniyeh's "blood will never be wasted".
The cause of Haniyeh's death is under investigation by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Differing reports emerged as to how he was killed, ranging from a missile strike to a remotely detonated explosive device previously hidden in his bedroom at the IRGC-run guesthouse. According to analysts, the assassination exposed critical security flaws. The investigation has led to the arrest of over two dozen individuals, including senior intelligence and military officials, as well as staff from the guesthouse.
Haniyeh was a prominent figure within Hamas since the organization's founding in 1987. He previously served as the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority and as Hamas Chief in the Gaza Strip. In 2017, he was elected head of the Hamas Political Bureau. Haniyeh was the highest-ranking Hamas political leader killed since the start of the Gaza war.
Background
Ismail Haniyeh
Haniyeh was the political leader of Hamas, of which he had been a prominent member since its creation in the wake of the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation in 1987, and was elected head of Hamas's political bureau in 2017. He had been living in Qatar since leaving the Gaza Strip in 2019.Footage from his office in the Qatari capital of Doha showed Haniyeh celebrating the October 7 attacks with other Hamas officials, before they prayed and praised God. According to The Telegraph, Haniyeh became the "public face" of the attack, publicly describing it as the start of a new era in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. He justified the attack by the plight of the Palestinians under the Israeli occupation. In April 2024, three of his sons and four of his grandchildren were killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The last known image of Haniyeh, reported by Iranian media, was taken on 30 July, a day before his death, at a theme park exhibition in Tehran featuring "axis of resistance" landmarks. In the photograph, he is accompanied by Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and a group of men posing with a model of the Dome of the Rock.
Killings of Hamas officials
In response to the October 7 attack, Israel stated it would target Hamas leaders. On 2 January 2024, Hamas deputy Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated in an airstrike in Beirut. On 13 July 2024, Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, with the Israel Defense Forces announcing his death on 1 August. Hours before Haniyeh's death, Israel announced the assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah leader in Beirut.Assassination
The initial report of Ismail Haniyeh's killing emerged from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who provided limited specifics regarding the circumstances of his death, which it said occurred early on 31 July and indicated that the incident was under investigation. Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian the previous day. Haniyeh's aide and bodyguard, Wassim Abu Shaaban, was also killed in the attack. According to Hamas, Haniyeh was killed by a "Zionist raid" on their residence. Israel declined to give any immediate comment.After Haniyeh's death, Iranian security agents raided the IRGC-run guesthouse, placing all staff members under quarantine, and confiscating electronic devices. More than two dozen individuals, including senior intelligence and military officials, as well as staff members, were arrested. A separate team interrogated senior military and intelligence officials responsible for safeguarding the capital, placing several under arrest until the investigations were complete. The agents also combed through surveillance footage and guest lists at the guesthouse and monitored activities at Tehran's airports.
Location
said the strike targeted "the special residences for war veterans in north Tehran", but this was disputed by Tasnim News. According to Amwaj.media, Haniyeh was assassinated in the Sa'dabad Complex, where he had unexpectedly decided to stay the night. According to The New York Times, Haniyeh was staying at an IRGC guesthouse in the Neshat compound, slightly northwest of Sa'dabad. A Hamas official told BBC News that Haniyeh was accompanied by three other leaders of the group in the building. Ziyad al-Nakhalah was staying next door, but his room was not badly damaged. Medical personnel stationed in the compound immediately rushed to the site, but found both Haniyeh and Abu Shaaban dead.Method
Differing reports have emerged as to how Haniyeh was killed.A member of Iran's Supreme National Security Council told Amwaj.media that a quadcopter was used to target Haniyeh after his location was revealed by his bodyguards.
Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese outlet with close ties to Hezbollah, reported that Haniyeh was hit by a missile fired from outside Iran. Israel's Channel 12 and Sky News Arabia reported that the assassination was a missile strike but was launched from within Iran.
The New York Times, based on information provided by several Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians and an American official, reported that Haniyeh was assassinated by a remotely detonated explosive device hidden in his room. Axios reported that the bomb was detonated by Mossad agents on Iranian soil. The device had been smuggled into the heavily guarded complex approximately two months earlier and was detonated once Haniyeh was confirmed to be in his room. This report was independently confirmed by the Jerusalem Post. According to The Telegraph, the IRGC believes that three explosives were planted in three separate rooms of the guesthouse by agents of its corps who were recruited by the Mossad. The unit is responsible for protecting leaders of the Islamic Republic except the Supreme Leader and his family. The report also said that the two agents involved in planting the bombs had left Iran beforehand.
In a press conference on 31 July, Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said "Haniyeh was visible in public so his assassination is not an intelligence achievement ... we are waiting for the full investigation by the Iranian authorities". Three Iranian officials described the breach as a catastrophic intelligence and security failure for Iran and an immense embarrassment for the IRGC, who use the compound for retreats, secret meetings, and accommodating prominent guests like Haniyeh.
On 3 August, the IRGC said that Haniyeh was killed with "a short-range projectile carrying about of explosive materials" that was launched from outside the building he was staying in and accused Israel of responsibility in the killing and the United States of providing support. It called The New York Times story a completely fabricated "tribute to Goebbels".
Wasim Abu Shaaban
Wasim "Abu Anas" Abu Shaaban, Haniyeh's personal aide and bodyguard, was also killed. Abu Shaaban was born in Gaza City in 1988 and graduated with a BA from the Islamic University of Gaza. Early in his career, he was an aide to Said Seyam, Minister of Interior in the First Haniyeh Government. A member of the Nukhba force in the Al-Qassam Brigades, he participated in the 2014 Nahal Oz attack in which five Israeli soldiers were killed. In 2019, he began traveling with Haniyeh outside the Gaza Strip.Funeral
A funeral was held for Haniyeh at Tehran University on 1 August, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei leading prayers. From there, the bodies of Haniyeh and his bodyguard were taken on a five-kilometer procession to Azadi Square. Haniyeh's remains were then taken to Qatar for a ceremony at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque followed by burial in Lusail on 2 August. Among those who attended the ceremony in Qatar were the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish Vice-president Cevdet Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Hamas political bureau member Khalil al-Hayya. Diplomatic delegations from Pakistan and Malaysia were also present, as well as representatives from Fatah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.Aftermath
On 6 August, Hamas named Yahya Sinwar as the new political leader of Hamas replacing Haniyeh.Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered a direct attack on Israel in response to the assassination. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression, and warned they would launch a preemptive strike on Iran. The editor of Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari argued the retaliation should include American interests as well. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised retaliation regardless of the consequences. Newly inaugurated President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly urged Khamenei to refrain from attacking Israel, warning of possible severe consequences for Iran's economy and infrastructure. The U.S. warned Iran that a significant attack on Israel could pose a "serious risk" to its newly elected government and economy.
On 6 August it was reported that Russia had begun delivering air defense systems to Iran.
A few hours after Haniyeh's death was announced, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting and stabbing attack near Beit Einun, north of Hebron in the West Bank, which seriously wounded an Israeli man. They stated the attack was in retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh and indicated more assaults would occur in the Hebron area. On August 4, two elderly Israeli civilians were killed in a stabbing attack in Holon by a Palestinian from Salfit. Hamas described the attack as a "natural response" to Haniyeh's assassination, among other reasons.
The secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Sergei Shoigu and the Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi traveled to Iran to negotiate over the retaliation. The United States Central Command commander met with the head of the IDF to prepare against the retaliation. The United States military announced the deployment of an additional squadron of F-22 Raptors from the 1st Operations Group of the 1st Fighter Wing; 4,000 marines and 12 ships were deployed to the region as a part of Carrier Strike Group 9 in the Persian Gulf and three Wasp-class amphibious assault ships, two destroyers and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit as a part of the USS Wasp amphibious ready group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Carrier Strike Group 3 including USS Abraham Lincoln and an unspecified number of cruisers and destroyers along with Carrier Air Wing Nine was also deployed, sent from the Pacific Ocean.
Airlines such as FlyDubai, Delta, Air India, Air Baltic, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, and United Airlines suspended their flights to Israel. French citizens were ordered to leave Iran and avoid traveling there. Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the US, and the UK began evacuating their citizens from Lebanon.
On 3 August, Iranian stock markets reported a 1.1 trillion toman loss in investment, equivalent to around 3% in market value. An Israeli hacker group claimed to have attacked Iranian ISPs and government websites, while Iran claimed it conducted a cyberattack on Ben Gurion Airport.
Iran started jamming GPS signals over its airspace. The IDF started jamming GPS signals in Tel Aviv. The Shin Bet prepared a bunker for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the IDF was ordered to be ready to counterattack in case of an Iranian attack. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with foreign ministers of the G7 to discuss the deescalation effort on 4 August, and sources said that he predicted an Iranian strike "within the next 24 to 48 hours". Germany's CDU party urged the German government to deploy the Bundeswehr as part of the coalition defending Israel from an Iranian attack. On 5 August, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said that his Iranian counterpart had messaged the Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó that they intend to attack Israel.
On 8 August NOTAMs were broadcast in Iranian and Lebanese airspaces. Iran continued to build up for an attack on Israel although the situation is complex, and a week later an attack had not occurred.
On 19 August, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced a return to the strategy of suicide attacks in Israeli cities, which they had previously abandoned in 2006, while Haniyeh was Prime Minister of Palestine and leader in exile of Hamas' political bureau.
On 1 October, Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles toward Israel, marking the second direct attack since the April 2024 strikes. Iran cited the assassinations of Haniyeh, alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and IRGC General Abbas Nilforoushan as reasons for the retaliation.