TEHRAN – Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the wee hours of Wednesday in Iran capital city of Tehran, the resistance group confirmed in a statement.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) also confirmed the death of Haniyeh, hours after he attended the inauguration ceremony of the country’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his body guards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon,” the IRGC said.
Israel has not issued any official statement in this regard.
The assassination comes hours after Israeli forces claimed to have killed the Hezbollah commander, who was allegedly behind an attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
“This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
He said Hamas would continue his policy until the victory is achieved.
Meanwhile, another senior Hamas official, Moussa Abu Marzouk, termed the assassination of Haniyeh a “cowardly act that will not go unpunished”.
Since the start of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, more than 60 members of Haniyeh’s family were martyred in strikes conducted by Israeli forces. Ismail Haniyeh’s sister, three of his sons, and three grandchildren were among those killed by the Israel.
