Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Assassinated in Tehran

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Tehran, Iran, according to a statement from the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The group mourned his death, describing it as the result of “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.”

“The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas mourns to our great Palestinian people, to the Arab and Islamic nation, and to all the free people of the world: Brother, leader, martyr, Mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, who was killed in a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran,” Hamas said

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported that Haniyeh was targeted along with an Iranian bodyguard. The incident occurred while Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Iranian authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.

Israel has not yet commented on Haniyeh’s killing.

Haniyeh, the exiled political chief of Hamas, had spent much of his recent years in Qatar and Turkey. Known for his pragmatism, he played a significant role as a negotiator during ceasefire talks in the Israel-Gaza conflict and maintained good relations with various Palestinian factions, including rivals of Hamas.

Elected head of the Hamas political bureau in 2017, Haniyeh had previously served as Palestinian prime minister following Hamas’s victory in the 2006 parliamentary election.