Lagatar24 Desk
Tehran: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike in Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Tuesday morning, the Palestinian group confirmed in a statement today.
Hamas stated that Haniyeh was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.” An investigation is currently underway to uncover more details about the attack. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Brother, leader, mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, died in a Zionist strike on his headquarters in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of the new (Iranian) president,” the statement read.
The swearing-in ceremony took place amid rising tensions and fears of war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah following a rocket attack on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, which resulted in the deaths of 12 children. Israel accused Hezbollah of carrying out the attack.
In retaliation for the Golan strike, Israel launched an airstrike on Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut, claiming to have killed the commander responsible for the attack.
Following the October 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians, Israel had vowed to eliminate Ismail Haniyeh and dismantle the Hamas organization.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in the region has resulted in the deaths of at least 39,400 people.
