Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said on Wednesday that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had been assassinated in Tehran, but did not immediately claim responsibility.
Israel quickly took responsibility for the assassination after pledging to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the Jewish state that left 1,200 people dead and around 250 abducted, according to the Associated Press.
Haniyeh was in Tehran on Tuesday to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian.
Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, spoke to reporters after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon, June 28, 2021. (Associated Press)
The Iranian government has not released details about how Haniyeh was killed. The incident is currently under investigation.
Analysts on Iranian state television were quick to place blame for the assassination on Israel.
Israel did not immediately comment, and the country does not typically comment publicly on assassinations carried out by the Mossad spy agency.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
