Posted on 08/01/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
New details continue to emerge from the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Tuesday night.
Two officials confirmed to Axios correspondent Barak Ravid the earlier report from the New York Times that Haniyeh was killed by an explosive that had been planted in the room where he had been staying two months before the assassionation.
According to the latest report, Israeli intelligence learned which room Haniyeh stayed in during each of his visits to Tehran and planted an explosive that featured artificial intelligence technology. The device was then detonated remotely by alleged Mossad agents in Iran after they received word that Haniyeh was in the room.
The report also stated that the American government had not been informed of the assassination ahead of time.
One source stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the final decision to have the Mossad assassinate Haniyeh and that the efforts to achieve a deal with Hamas to free the 115 hostages still held in Gaza was one of the key considerations.
According to the source, Haniyeh was seen as a hardliner in the negotiations and it was determined that removing him would remove an obstacle to a ceasefire deal, despite the "pragmatic" face Haniyeh attempted to present to the mainstream media.
Earlier, the New York Times reported that the bomb was planted approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, which is managed and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in northern Tehran.
According to IRGC officials, the explosion shook the building, shattered some windows, and caused the partial collapse of an exterior wall.
Iranian media had reported on Wednesday that the Hamas leader was killed by an Israeli-made Spike short-range missile was launched at the leader's bedroom in northern Tehran from within Iranian territory.