Contradictory reports on how Hamas leader was assassinated in Tehran are surfacing over the first two days. While Israeli, U.S., and even official Iranian sources are cited, they are all unnamed and contradictory. Even a widely circulated photo of the outside of the building where Haniyeh was killed is open to question. It apparently first appeared on Telegram.
The most “detailed” and widely cited report is by the New York Times, which claims that the Hamas leader was killed by an explosive device planted in his room two months ago, at the official safehouse of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The building is located in an upscale neighborhood in north Tehran. The photo shows a five-story building in a park-like setting. The Times allegedly cites “seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official.” Two Iranian officials report second-hand from a pair of revolutionary guards members that the device was a bomb. All sources are unnamed and therefore their statements cannot be verified.
They claim unnamed “Middle East Sources” as saying Israeli intelligence officials briefed the U.S. and other Western governments after the operation. How it was planted, how the bomb was undiscovered for two months, etc., is unknown. They cite an unnamed Iranian official saying it was a colossal security failure.
Nonetheless, a new report today, this time citing an anonymous witness, was published by the British-based newsite Middle East Eye. It ruled out a bomb, holding to the claim that a missile or projectile was involved. They cite three unnamed individuals who were in the building at the time of the killing who said that Haniyeh was killed by a projectile fired at his room. One of these individuals was staying in a room near Haniyeh’s, the other two were on different floors.
The reality is that official information is scarce. Even the Iranian parliament’s commission of national security and foreign policy, which held an emergency meeting to discuss the killing, was not briefed by the IRGC. The only information close to “official” was that published by the IRGC-aligned Fars news agency report, which said that Haniyeh had been “struck by a projectile.” It concluded that Israel’s involvement “cannot be ruled out.”
