A senior Hamas leader was killed on Wednesday morning.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, 62, was killed in an early morning attack in Iran. His killing threatens the region’s stability and increases the risk of the Gaza war escalating into a regional conflict.
What happened to Hania and when?
At around 2 a.m. local time (22:30 GMT) on Wednesday, Haniyeh was killed by an “air-launched guided projectile.” His bodyguard was also killed.
He was assassinated on the first day of Iranian President Massoud Pezhashkian’s term. Haniyeh had traveled to Tehran on Tuesday to inaugurate Pizshakyan.
Hania was last seen at the inauguration of Pyzhashkiyan. According to local reports, during the meeting, the Iranian president reiterated the Iranian people’s determination to achieve Palestinian freedom, while Haniyeh thanked him for his stance.
Where did it happen in Iran?
Initial reports said the attack targeted “special residences for war veterans in northern Tehran” where Haniyeh lived.
Analysts believe the timing and location were chosen to embarrass Tehran.
Abbas Aslani, a fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, said, “What happened in Tehran was a bad thing for the Iranian security apparatus … and therefore Iran will somehow feel that it must be answered.”
Who was Hania?
- Haniyeh was widely considered the political leader of Hamas and had been a prominent member of the movement for more than two decades.
- In 2006, at the age of 44, he led Hamas to a legislative election against the Fatah movement that had been in power for more than 10 years.
- However, he was fired after the West refused to work with Hamas. He was elected head of Hamas’ political bureau in 2017 and designated a “terrorist” by the US State Department in 2018.
- In 2019, after stepping down as head of Hamas in Gaza, Haniyeh left the enclave and lived abroad, leading the group’s diplomatic efforts as its political chief.
