Hamas reports death of its leader Ismail Haniyeh

Now Hamas has also been hit in the head. Just hours after Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was targeted by Israeli rockets in the Lebanese capital Beirut, Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a strike in Tehran. The head of the Palestinian terror group’s political bureau arrived in the Iranian capital on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of Iran’s newly elected president, Massoud Pezeshkian, in parliament.

As the Iranian regime has declaredHaniyeh was killed in an early morning attack on a residence in northern Tehran. One of his bodyguards was killed with him. The exact circumstances of the attack were initially unclear. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it was investigating the incident and would release more details later. However, NZZ has learned from reliable sources that Haniyeh was killed by a drone.

Sources said a nearby agent flew a drone into Hania’s bedroom and caused it to explode. This statement could not be verified initially. But there are some views that support this limited attack. Although several media reports have previously Citing sources in TehranHaniya was hit by a missile launched from outside Iran. However, so far, there are no photos or videos of the explosion that can prove it was a rocket attack.

Regardless, Haniyeh’s killing in the middle of the capital is a grave humiliation for the Iranian regime and shows a failure of intelligence services. It also raises questions about the security of Iran’s leadership. Haniyeh had been received by the leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just hours before he was killed. But this is not the first time Israel has successfully carried out an attack on Iran. Over the years, Israel has murdered several nuclear researchers, including Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the head of Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran and Hamas vow revenge

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. In contrast to Tuesday’s drone strike on Shukr, for which Israel immediately claimed responsibility, the Jerusalem government has yet to comment on Tehran’s attack. But Hamas and Iran were quick to blame their old enemies. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman saidHaniyya’s blood will not be shed in vain. Soon after, the leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced that Israel would be severely punished for the attack.

Iran’s new president, Pezeshkian, has threatened that the “terrorist occupation regime” will regret its actions. Iran will “defend its sovereignty, dignity, reputation and honor.” Before his election, Pezeshkian pledged to work on improving relations with the West. However, the killing of a key ally just one day after being sworn in could complicate any moves in that direction.

Hamas also immediately vowed to avenge the death of its leader. However, the resources for such a counterattack are likely to be limited, as the group has lost a large number of fighters in the ten-month war in the Gaza Strip and is seriously weakened. Therefore, Hamas is more likely to hope that its allies Iran and Hezbollah will respond. Lebanese Shiite militias have announced revenge for the attack on Shukr that night.

Haniyeh played a central role in the negotiations

Haniyeh’s death is a heavy blow to Hamas. He was considered one of the most important leaders of the Islamist movement. The 62-year-old had been the head of the Political Bureau for seven years and was therefore nominally the head of the organization. The literary scholar, who was born in the Gaza Strip and majored in literature, briefly served as prime minister of the Palestinian government before being deposed by Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. He later led the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip for several years and was eventually elected as the head of the Political Bureau in 2017.

Haniyeh, who lives most of the time in Doha, Qatar, and leads Hamas’s leadership in exile, has been actively involved in negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza. Haniyeh is the highest-ranking Hamas member to be targeted since the October 7 Israeli terror attack. In January, the terror group’s deputy chief, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in a drone strike in Beirut.

However, it is questionable how much influence Haniyeh has had recently over Hamas. The balance of power within the group has shifted in recent years — away from exiled leaders in Qatar and toward younger, more radical Gaza leaders such as Yahya Sinwar, who has led Hamas in the coastal strip since 2017 and is considered the de facto architect of the Oct. 7 attack. It is unclear whether Haniyeh was informed of the plan in advance.

Unlike al-Arouri, who was killed in Beirut, Haniyeh was not assigned to the military but to the group’s political wing. According to media reports, Haniyeh was seen as a supporter of negotiating a deal with Israel on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, while Sinwar insisted on a hard line and continued fighting. Haniyeh’s killing could make it more difficult to negotiate a deal.

The end of a bloody night

The fact that Haniyeh was killed in Tehran shows that even Hamas’s exiled leaders are no longer safe abroad. However, it remains to be seen what consequences his death will have in the long run. Unlike the Hezbollah movement, whose charismatic leader Hassan Nasrallah plays a central role in the organization, Hamas’ leadership is dispersed among several people. Even the killing of its founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, in a rocket attack in the Gaza Strip in 2004 did not weaken Hamas in the long run.

The killing of Hania has caused mixed reactions. The Yemeni Houthi regime, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other members of the Iran-led “resistance axis” condemned the attack. Qatar and Turkey, which have close ties with Hamas, also criticized the move. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of a despicable act aimed at weakening the just struggle of Palestinian brothers.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a day of mourning for Haniyeh in the West Bank, whose Fatah movement recently agreed to reconcile with Hamas through China. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States remained committed to a ceasefire in Gaza. “We don’t want war, but we are preparing for any eventuality,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said, without commenting directly on the attack.