Did US tell Iran about Mossad agents behind Haniyeh’s assassination as 'good faith' gesture?

Kuwaiti newspaper al Jarida on Wednesday (August 14) cited an unnamed source in Iran’s Supreme National Security Council as saying that a high-ranking American security delegation, mediated by Oman, secretly travelled to Tehran.

According to Israeli media outlet Jerusalem Post, which cited the report in al Jarida, the American delegation allegedly presented a list with the names of ten Mossad agents within Iran whom the Americans believed were involved in the assassination, directly or indirectly.

A ‘good faith’ gesture?

Al Jarida said that the Americans would have reportedly done this as a “good faith” initiative in response to Israel’s strikes killed Fuad Shukr in Beirut, Lebanon, and which Iran believes were also behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

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Reportedly, the actions of the US delegation were to show Iran that the strikes were carried out without American coordination.

The assassinations of Haniyeh, Shukr

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah military commander, were both assassinated in late July 2024, in operations widely attributed to Israel.

Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, Iran, where he was attending the inauguration of the new Iranian president. The assassination occurred on July 31, 2024, when a missile struck the building where Haniyeh was staying, killing him and his bodyguard.

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This operation is seen as a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, particularly given the symbolism of carrying out the attack in the heart of Tehran, a key ally of Hamas. Israel has not officially confirmed its involvement, but the timing and nature of the attack strongly suggest Israeli responsibility.

Fuad Shukr, a key Hezbollah commander, was killed just hours before Haniyeh, in an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut, Lebanon. Shukr was a significant figure in Hezbollah’s military operations, and his death has been linked to a series of recent hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

The strike on Shukr is reported to have been in retaliation for a rocket attack that killed several children in the Golan Heights.

These assassinations have heightened tensions across the Middle East, with both Iran and Hezbollah vowing retaliation.

With inputs from agencies