The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh refers to the killing of the Hamas political-bureau chief in Tehran. John Kiriakou identifies Haniyeh, based in Doha, as the head of Hamas’s political bureau and the lead ceasefire negotiator in the group’s dealings during the Gaza war; he was in Iran to attend the inauguration of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian.[1]
Kiriakou says Israel planted a bomb in the Tehran guesthouse where Haniyeh regularly stayed as early as several months before the killing, then detonated it remotely once he arrived — rather than launching a missile strike, which would have required violating Jordanian, Iraqi, or Saudi airspace.[2] He notes that rumors circulated attributing the bombing instead to the Iranian opposition group MEK (Mujahedin-e-Khalq), which was already active inside Iran.[3]