WSJ: Iran wants to take tough revenge on Israel for the assassination of the head of the Hamas politburo Haniyeh
Iran is planning to avenge the assassination of the head of the Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. They believe that Israel and the United States are to blame for this. Iran assured that the crime would not go unanswered, but it would be at the right time and in the right place. Law enforcement agencies found out that Haniyeh's murder was carefully planned, the killers planted explosives in the guest house where he constantly stayed for two months, and then remotely activated it.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite units of the Iranian Armed Forces) said that the murder of the head of the Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyeh, would be followed by "severe punishment" in a suitable place and time. The movement believes that Israel and the United States are to blame for the politician's death.
"Revenge for the blood of the martyr Ismail Haniyeh is inevitable, and the risky terrorist regime of Israel will certainly receive severe punishment in response to this crime," the message says, quoted by RIA Novosti.
The Wall Street Journal noted that in April, Iran notified Israel and the United States of a massive drone attack, as a result of which they had time to prepare and intercept most of the projectiles. Currently, the country does not plan to inform about its actions, so the response to Haniyeh's murder may be unexpected.
The source of the publication said that at the moment the United States is being cautious. They don't know if Iran is planning to strike Israel. However, most likely, Tehran is preparing a tough response.
The explosives were placed in three rooms
The IRNA news agency reported that, according to investigative data, Haniyeh was killed "by a short-range projectile with a warhead of about seven kilograms, accompanied by a powerful explosion."
The British newspaper Telegraph found out that Iranian agents from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on the instructions of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, planted explosives in a guest house in Tehran, where Haniyeh stayed, who came to attend the inauguration of the new president of Iran. The footage from the surveillance cameras shows that unknown people, presumably Mossad agents, are slowly moving from room to room. It is assumed that the explosives lay in the cache for about two months, and then they were activated with an explosive device. After the incident, investigators found explosives in two more rooms of the house.
According to preliminary data, Haniyeh was in the room with his bodyguard. After the explosion, his entourage and employees of the guest house, including doctors, rushed to help the victims. Doctors were unable to resuscitate the official, he died immediately. His bodyguard also failed to help. There were several other high-ranking officials in the guest house that day, but neither they nor their rooms were damaged. This suggests that the target was Haniyeh.
As a result of the explosion, windows were blown out in the building, and the outer wall partially collapsed. According to The New York Times, during his visits to Iran, Haniyeh stayed in this guest house. High-ranking officials not only stay in this building, but also organize secret meetings.
Sources told the Telegraph that the Mossad service allegedly hired employees of the Ansar al-Mahdi unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - they are responsible for the security of high-ranking officials. Law enforcement agencies found out that Haniyeh was planned to be killed back in May at the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, around this time a bomb was planted in the guest house. However, the performers changed their minds due to the presence of a large number of people and the high probability of failure.
According to the Telegraph, Iran is now investigating exactly how the murder of a high-ranking official could have been organized.
The NYT writes that Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's murder, but Israeli intelligence officials immediately informed the United States and other Western governments about the details of the operation.
Alyona Fomina
