Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran
- First reactions
- Who was Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political wing killed in Iran?
- The shadow of error: Haniyeh's death and the price of security
Hours after witnessing the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the main perpetrator of the 7 October attacks in Israel that left more than 1,200 dead, was assassinated at his home in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, along with a new security guard.
This was announced by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in an official statement. Although responsibility for the assassination is unknown, Iran blames the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. The same communiqué states that Hamas will proclaim brother leader Ismail Haniyeh a martyr to the great Palestinian people and to the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free peoples of the world.
Along with the assassination of Fouad Shukur, Hezbollah's top military commander, in Beirut, Lebanon's capital, the death of the leader of the organisation in charge of the 7 October attacks weakens the strength of the radical Islamist movement that seeks to wipe out Israel, as was cheered at Pezeshkian's appointment ceremony, where cries of Death to Israel and Death to America, to the more than obvious passivity of the political and religious leaders in attendance.
First reactions
In just 10 hours, two of those most responsible for the escalation of tension in the Middle East have been killed. Like Hezbollah, Hamas militias and, above all, Ali Khamenei, have reiterated that the blow will not go unpunished.
‘We consider revenge as our duty,’ Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement on his official website. He said Israel ‘has prepared a harsh punishment for itself’ by killing ‘a dear guest in our house’.
Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh in the West Bank also condemned Haniyeh's assassination as a ‘cowardly act’. ‘We condemn and strongly condemn the assassination of the head of the political body, national leader Ismail Haniyeh,’ wrote the head of the Palestinian Authority's civil affairs office in X. ‘We consider this a cowardly act, which forces us to be more resolute in the face of the occupation and the need to achieve unity among Palestinian forces and factions.’
For his part, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said Haniyeh's assassination would go unanswered, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported. He also described the assassination as an act of cowardice.
So far, the spiritual leader of the Shia branch of Islam and one of the most powerful and influential people in the world has yet to issue a fatwa, which could escalate the conflict to undesirable levels. With more than 200 million Shi'ites worldwide, the issuing of such fatwas could be a worrying escalation.
Iran did not provide details of Haniyeh's death and the Guard said the attack was under investigation. Analysts on Iranian state television immediately began blaming Israel for the attack. Israel itself did not immediately comment, but normally does not comment on assassinations carried out by the Mossad intelligence agency.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said Haniyeh's ‘martyrdom’ would ‘strengthen the deep and unbreakable ties between Tehran, Palestine and the resistance’, state media reported.
And former Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaie warned that Israel would ‘pay a heavy price’ for killing the Hamas leader in Tehran. The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries also condemned the attack.
Who was Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political wing killed in Iran?
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in an air strike in Tehran, Iran. Born in 1963 in the Gaza Strip, he joined Hamas during the first intifada and became a senior leader of the Islamist group.
Haniyeh has headed Hamas's political bureau since 2017 and was prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2006. He was designated a wanted terrorist by the United States and faced internal criticism within Hamas over his approach to ceasefire negotiations and his military strategy.
Haniyeh's death is a blow to Hamas at a time of tension in the Middle East that has prompted Iran to threaten revenge for his assassination and raised doubts about the future of negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
The shadow of error: Haniyeh's death and the price of security
The death of Ismail Haniyeh is a blow to Iranian intelligence, the Revolutionary Guard, which must explain the failure that sent the Hamas political leader to his death. The security of Haniyeh, who was in Iran, was a top priority and his death demonstrated a serious lack of protection and oversight. The loss of a leader like Haniyeh could have serious consequences in the region. Haniyeh's death is a reminder that, in the world of politics, security is a luxury that can be bought but is not always guaranteed.