How and why was Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran?

Ties between Iran and Israel were bad and on Wednesday, they became even more strained as Hamas’ top political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed with Tehran pointing fingers at Tel Aviv.

In the early hours of Wednesday, news broke that the 62-year-old head of Hamas’ political wing and a former Palestinian prime minister had been killed with the militant group blaming Israel for the shock assassination.

“Brother leader, mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, died in a Zionist strike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of the new (Iranian) president,” the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.

Hamas political bureau member Musa Abu Marzuk also vowed the group would retaliate. “The assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh is a cowardly act and will not go unanswered,” he said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also announced the death, saying Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran was “hit” and he was killed along with a bodyguard.

But how was Haniyeh killed? Was it an airstrike? We piece together details of the attack which are yet emerging.

Where was Haniyeh killed?

According to Iranian state media, the killing of Haniyeh took place around 2 am local time on Wednesday in Tehran. The Hamas top political boss was in Iran after he attended the inauguration ceremony for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday. He was photographed in Tehran on Tuesday meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad al-Nakhalah.

He was, as state media reported, living in a “special residence for war veterans” in Tehran at the time of his assassination.

How was Haniyeh killed?

While there is no proper confirmation as to how the Hamas leader was killed, some media reports have said that he was killed using an “airborne guided projectile”. State-run news agency IRNA said further investigations were underway to determine the details of the operation and the position from which the projectile was fired.

Even Saudi news outlet Al Hadath reported that Haniyeh had been assassinated by a guided missile, targeting his private residence in Tehran.

Fars news, which is affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard , also reported the same, saying that Hanieyh was stationed in a residence for veterans in the north of Tehran, and that he was killed by “a projectile from the air”.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that one of Haniyeh’s bodyguards had also been killed in the strike and that it was investigating the matter.

While all fingers are being pointed at Israel for the killing, the Benjamin Netanyahu-led nation is yet to comment on the assassination.

Why was Haniyeh killed in Iran?

Haniyeh lived in Qatar from 2019 and was actively acted as a negotiator in the ceasefire talks and liased with Hamas’ main ally, Iran.

But why was he killed in Iran and not in Qatar? According to one BBC report, Israel, who is believed to be behind the killing was aware that it couldn’t kill Haniyeh in Qatar owing to the Hamas’ presence there. Moreover, killing him in Iran sends “a message about Israel’s reach, a message that no one is safe”.

Bloomberg senior editor Bobby Ghosh also echoed similar comments. Speaking to CNN, he said: A strike within Iran to kill the top political leader of Hamas is quite an achievement, it will be a big shock not just for Hamas but also to its main sponsor, Iran.”

He called it a “loss of prestige” for Iran.

An Al Jazeera report also stated that the intelligence used to locate and assassinate Haniyeh “suggests the possible help of the US”.

“Intelligence is key. Any weapon in the world is only as good as the intelligence that guides it. It can be as accurate as it likes,” Al Jazeera’s defence editor Alex Gatopoulos said. Technical intelligence would have supplied a location, “something they would have to act on quickly … [The US] obviously has the means and ability to collect this kind of intelligence,” he said.

When is Haniyeh’s funeral?

Hamas has said that Ismail Haniyeh’s funeral will be will be held in Tehran on Thursday and then his body will be transferred to Qatar’s capital Doha for prayers and burial.

Iran has also declared three days of mourning following the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in an attack blamed on arch-foe Israel. “The Islamic Republic of Iran announced three days of public mourning following the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh,” the government said in a statement.

How did Haniyeh’s family die?

Notably, Ismail Haniyeh met the same fate as his three sons and grandchildren. Earlier in April, Haniyeh’s three sons — Hazem, Amir and Mohammad — and two grandchildren were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

Hamas had then confirmed the news, saying the incident happened when the car they were driving in was bombed in Gaza’s Al-Shati camp.

Later, in June, 10 members of his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza’s Shati refugee camp. Back then, the Hamas leader said that more than 60 of his family members had been killed since the start of the war on October 7.

Shortly after Haniyeh’s death, his son, Abdul Salam Haniyeh, issued a statement saying the killing won’t end Palestinians’ resistance against Israel

“My father survived four assassination attempts during his patriotic journey, and today Allah has granted him the martyrdom that he always wished for,” Abdul Salam Haniyeh said.

“He was very keen to establish national unity and strived for the unity of all Palestinian factions and we affirm that this assassination will not deter the resistance, which will fight until freedom is achieved.”

What comes next?

The assassination of Haniyeh complicates matters in West Asia where tensions are already on a boil. Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei said Israel has provided the grounds for “harsh punishment” for itself.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has also said that Israel will face “a harsh and painful response” from Iran and its allies. “This crime showed that the Zionist gang of criminals, murderers and terrorists, without any regard for international rules and regulations, does not shy away from committing any criminal action to cover up the shameful failures of nine months of war in Gaza, which led to the massacre of tens of thousands of Palestinian women, men and children,” read a statement.

Other countries such as China, Russia, Qatar have also condemned the killing. Meanwhile, Israel is yet to claim responsibility for the killing with a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces saying it is carrying out a “situation assessment”.

However, _Sky News r_eported that the press office for the Israeli government shared — and since deleted — an image of Ismail Haniyeh on Facebook with the word “eliminated” stamped on his forehead.

With inputs from agencies