Haniyeh killed by 'device planted two months ago' in Tehran guesthouse

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated by an explosive device that was secretly smuggled into Tehran weeks ago, according to a report in the New York Times on Thursday. 

Citing seven Middle Eastern officials and a US official, the report said a bomb had been hidden in a guesthouse in the capital run by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) around two months ago. 

Haniyeh had stayed in the guesthouse on several occasions while visiting Tehran, according to the sources. 

On Wednesday, after confirmation that Haniyeh was inside his room at the guesthouse, the bomb was detonated remotely, according to five of the officials. The blast also killed the Hamas political leader’s bodyguard. 

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the killing - it rarely comments on operations carried out abroad. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hamas have directly blamed Israel for the attack and promised revenge.

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