Details about the assassination of a high-ranking Hamas member highlights the reach of groups aligned against the terrorist group, reminding bad actors around the world that there are no safe places if you make the wrong enemies.
Ismail Haniyeh, considered to be a chief leader within Hamas, was killed Wednesday in an explosion at a guesthouse in Tehran, Iran.
The assassination, alleged to have been planned and executed by Israel, was initially blamed on an “airstrike” before details surfaced hinting the killing weapon was in place months before it deprived Hamas of a leader.
Citing multiple American, Iranian and Middle Eastern officials, The New York Times reports a bomb hidden in the guesthouse was responsible for the killing blow.
Astonishingly, the explosive was reportedly in place for two months before it detonated.
The guest house where the explosion took place is part of a heavily-guarded compound in Iran’s capital city. It is operated and secured by the radical Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Haniyeh was in the Islamic Republic to attend the inauguration of the country’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran’s former president, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a fiery helicopter crash that took rescuers a painfully long time to locate and recover.
The Times reports that the waiting bomb was remotely detonated at 2 a.m., after the top Hamas official was confirmed to be within range.
Are terrorists valid targets anywhere?
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the blast, Israel reportedly debriefed allies on the operation following the blast.
Regardless of which enemy of Hamas was behind the assassination, it sends a message that terrorists are not safe, even in a “secure” foreign compound.
The explosive device was not placed at Hamas’ Gaza stomping grounds, nor was it placed in Qatar where many senior leaders of the terror group live.
The placement in the Tehran guesthouse appears to be a masterstroke of cloak-and-dagger work that took patience, bravery and the ruthless exploitation of any gaps in the Iranian intelligence service.
It’s unclear exactly where the device was hidden, how it was secreted into the compound or who exactly placed it.
To make matters worse for Hamas, the blast came at the perfect time to topple Haniyeh’s monumental hubris.
The explosive was detonated less than twelve hours after the late Hamas leader participated in chants wishing death on both America and Israel.
During Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration as president today in #Iran, the parliament broke out in chant of “Death to #Israel” and “Death to America.” 1/ pic.twitter.com/1uVyRY18nU
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) July 30, 2024
While there are many unknowns about this assassination, it’s that very same uncertainty that is bound to keep Hamas leaders and other perpetrators of crimes against humanity awake at night wondering if there’s a detonator about to be triggered just for them.
