Iran has launched a wide-ranging investigation into Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s murder, a stark sign of how damaging and shocking the security failure was.
Iran has arrested more than two dozen people, including military officials, senior intelligence officers, and staff members, at a military-run guesthouse in Tehran in a massive and humiliating security breach. In response, that led to the assassination of a senior Hamas leader.
The high-profile arrests came after a blast early Wednesday killed Ismail Haniyeh, who headed Hamas’ political office in Qatar and was visiting Tehran to inaugurate Iran’s new president. were staying in a guest house located in the northern region of the capital city of Tehran.
The fervor of the reaction to Mr. Haniyeh’s killing underscores how devastating a security failure it was for Iran’s leadership, with tight security in the country’s capital within hours of the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s new president. This murder took place in Hisar.
“The perception that Iran is unable to protect its homeland nor its key allies can be fatal to the Iranian regime because it essentially signals to its enemies that if they cannot topple the Islamic Republic, they can behead him.” said the Iranian director of the International Crisis Group.
Iranian officials and Hamas said on Wednesday that Israel was responsible for the killing, an assessment echoed by several US officials. Israel, which has vowed to destroy Hamas’ governance and military capabilities, has not admitted it was responsible for planting the bomb.
Hassan Rouhani, a former Iranian president who has served in senior security roles, said in a statement that by killing Mr. Haniyeh, Israel was also “targeting Iran’s security and stability at the start of a new regime.” “He added that the way to counter the threat would be for all security, intelligence, and military branches to collaborate and strengthen their capabilities.