The Mossad spy agency reportedly recruited agents within Iran's Revolutionary Guards to plant explosives in the Tehran guesthouse where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was staying, according to reports. This report comes amid news of multiple arrests in Tehran related to the incident.
The findings published in the top UK and US dailies suggest that Iran lied about the use of drone strikes over Tehran on the day Haniyeh was killed.
Israel has remained silent on Haniyeh’s death since the explosion early Wednesday, though Iran and its allies, including Hamas, have promised revenge.
Two Iranian officials were quoted as saying that the original plan was to assassinate Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran in May for the funeral of former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi. That plan was reportedly cancelled due to the large crowd and high risk of failure.
Instead, agents allegedly planted explosives in three rooms at the guesthouse and left Iran afterwards.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows the agents moving discreetly between rooms before remotely detonating the bombs.
“They are now certain that Mossad hired agents from the Ansar al-Mahdi security unit,” an official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) told the newspaper.
Another IRGC official described the event as “a humiliation for Iran and a huge security breach.” The IRGC manages the guesthouse where Haniyeh and other dignitaries were staying.
Iranian and Hamas officials have insisted that Haniyeh was killed by a missile fired from the air. However, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari clarified, “There was no other aerial strike, not a missile and not an Israeli drone, in the entire Middle East that night.”
However, reports suggest that the explosion was caused by a remote-controlled bomb smuggled into Haniyeh’s room about two months ago. The report cites sources familiar with the investigation.
Addressing the security breach is reportedly more critical to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei than seeking revenge, although he ordered a direct strike on Israel hours after the explosion.
The IRGC’s specialised intelligence unit for espionage is now leading the investigation, pursuing suspects connected to Haniyeh’s death.
The killing was allegedly timed to coincide with the swearing-in ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which Haniyeh was attending.
“No intact brain can accept that this happened by accident, especially on Pezeshkian’s first day in office,” a source close to Pezeshkian said.
Israel has pledged to target Hamas leaders after the group’s devastating October 7 massacre.
Experts anticipate Iran and its allies to respond militarily, though the retaliation is expected to be measured to avoid a broader conflict.
The IDF remains on “high alert” and prepared for any threats. The United States has also committed to defending Israel, moving a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East, and maintaining an aircraft carrier in the region.
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