Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Israeli strike in Tehran

Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in an attack in Tehran on Wednesday. According to a statement by Hamas, an “Israeli strike” targeted the Palestinian official, who served as the political bureau chief of the organization.

“Brother, leader, mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, died in a Zionist strike on his headquarters in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of the new (Iranian) president,” the statement by Hamas read.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the attack, stating that Haniyeh’s residence was targeted, and an investigation is ongoing. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of president-elect Mazoud Pezeshkian and had met with both the new leader and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“The residence of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political office of Hamas Islamic Resistance, was hit in Tehran, and as a result of this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred,” said the IRGC’s Sepah news website. The IRGC offered condolences to the people of Palestine, the Muslim world, and the fighters of the Resistance Front over Haniyeh’s death.

A senior Hamas official condemned the attack as a “grave escalation” by Israel, while Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, head of Yemen’s Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee, described it as a “heinous terrorist crime.” Hamas stated that it would not back down from its path despite the attack and remained confident of victory.

“This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas and the will of our people and achieve fake goals. We confirm that this escalation will fail to achieve its objectives,” said senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri.

Ismail Haniyeh, considered the diplomatic front of Hamas, was known for his tough rhetoric but was seen as a more moderate figure in international diplomacy. Based out of Turkey and Doha, Haniyeh had been the political wing chief of Hamas since 2017 and was previously elected the Palestinian prime minister in 2006. He maintained good relations with various Palestinian factions and nurtured ties with Shi’ite Muslim Iran, bolstering Hamas’ fighting capacity.

Haniyeh’s leadership saw him acting as a negotiator in ceasefire talks and maintaining diplomatic missions to Iran and Turkey. Despite living in exile, he remained a central figure in Hamas’ political and military strategies.

The attack on Haniyeh comes amid heightened concerns of war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Following a rocket attack on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Tuesday, Israel retaliated by striking Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut, killing commander Fuad Shukr.