Lebanon Iran, Iraq and Syria Yemen and the Red Sea Deaths Related topics On 31 July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an Israeli attack.

[8] Differing reports emerged as to how he was killed, ranging from a missile strike[4] to a remotely detonated explosive device previously hidden in his bedroom at the IRGC-run guesthouse.

[12] Footage from his office in the Qatari capital of Doha showed Haniyeh celebrating the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel with other Hamas officials, before they prayed and praised God.

[16] The last known image of Haniyeh, reported by Iranian media, was taken on 30 July, a day before his death, at a theme park exhibition in Tehran featuring "axis of resistance" landmarks.

[11] The initial report of Ismail Haniyeh's killing emerged from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who provided limited specifics regarding the circumstances of his death, which it said occurred early on 31 July and indicated that the incident was under investigation.

[22] After Haniyeh's death, Iranian security agents raided the IRGC-run guesthouse, placing all staff members under quarantine, and confiscating electronic devices.

[9] A separate team interrogated senior military and intelligence officials responsible for safeguarding the capital, placing several under arrest until the investigations were complete.

[30] In a press conference on 31 July, Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said "Haniyeh was visible in public so his assassination is not an intelligence achievement ... we are waiting for the full investigation by the Iranian authorities".

[31] Three Iranian officials described the breach as a catastrophic intelligence and security failure for Iran and an immense embarrassment for the IRGC, who use the compound for retreats, secret meetings, and accommodating prominent guests like Haniyeh.

[38] Among those who attended the ceremony in Qatar were the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish Vice-president Cevdet Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Hamas political bureau member Khalil al-Hayya.

[43] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression, and warned they would launch a preemptive strike on Iran.

[47] Newly inaugurated President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly urged Khamenei to refrain from attacking Israel, warning of possible severe consequences for Iran's economy and infrastructure.

[50] A few hours after Haniyeh's death was announced, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting and stabbing attack near Beit Einun, north of Hebron in the West Bank, which seriously wounded an Israeli man.

[52] The secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Sergei Shoigu[53] and the Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi traveled to Iran to negotiate over the retaliation.

[73] The Shin Bet prepared a bunker for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,[74] and the IDF was ordered to be ready to counterattack in case of an Iranian attack.

[77] Germany's CDU party urged the German government to deploy the Bundeswehr as part of the coalition defending Israel from an Iranian attack.

[82] On 19 August, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced a return to the strategy of suicide attacks in Israeli cities, which they had previously abandoned in 2006, while Haniyeh was Prime Minister of Palestine and leader in exile of Hamas' political bureau.

[20][85] Palestine's deputy permanent observer to the United Nations, Feda Abdelhady Nasser, called on the international community to stop Israel from dragging the Middle East into the "abyss".

[17] Khamenei later stated that "With this action, the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime prepared the ground for harsh punishment for itself, and we consider it our duty to seek revenge for his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran".

[3] A large banner was placed in Tehran's Palestine Square, featuring a portrait of Haniyeh alongside the Dome of the Rock, with a message in Farsi and Hebrew reading: 'Wait for severe punishment.

'"[99] Opposition figures Masih Alinejad, Hamed Esmaeilion and Reza Pahlavi called the killing of Haniyeh the sign of iniquity of the Iranian regime.

[108] Then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant addressed troops at an Arrow missile air-defense battery, stating, "We don't want war, but we are preparing for all possibilities.

"[5][110] The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session on 31 July following the assassination, during which China, Russia and Algeria condemned the killing.

[111] A spokesman for the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said that the bloc rejected "extrajudicial executions", adding that "No country, nor any nation stands to gain from further escalation in the Middle East".

[112] Following an extraordinary meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 7 August, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation issued a statement attributing "full responsibility" over the assassination to Israel, adding that it was a "serious infringement" of Iranian sovereignty.

[113] Peter Ricketts, UK's former National Security Advisor, was quoted by the BBC as saying that the assassination was "a very powerful demonstration of Israel's ability to reach out right across the region.

[154] CNN noted that Haniyeh's killing was "a significant blow" to Hamas, occurring "at a fraught time for the Middle East," and added that it "also throws into question the future of Israel–Hamas negotiations.

He noted that the assassination of two senior figures in Iranian-backed groups, Hezbollah and Hamas, within hours, challenges Iran's sovereignty and its image as a regional power capable of protecting its allies and raises questions about its potential response.

[10] Trita Parsi, executive vice-president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, citing also the interpretation of Eran Etzion, former head of policy planning at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, argued that the assassination was related to Benjamin Netanyahu's desire to 'spark a larger war and drag the U.S. into it'.

"[158] Avi Issacharoff, writing for Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote that Haniyeh's assassination is expected to prompt a response from Iran, which may carefully consider its actions given potential repercussions on its nuclear program.