Bomb was planted in Haniyeh’s room in Tehran, Israeli broadcaster claims

JERUSALEM (AA) – A private Israeli broadcaster, in an investigative report aired late Saturday, said a bomb was planted in Ismail Haniyeh’s room in his Tehran residence.

Haniyeh was killed inside his residence during a visit to Tehran on July 31.

The assassination was carried out with a “precision bomb” placed inside Haniyeh’s room and controlled remotely, Channel 12 said in the report.

The device was planted after the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, it added.

According to the media outlet investigation, preparations for the operation included meticulous surveillance of Haniyeh’s movements.

Channel 12 reported that planning the operation took months, with unnamed sources describing the mission as “one of the most complex and sensitive operations” and claiming Haniyeh was playing a key role in planning attacks on Israel.

On Dec. 23, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted Israel’s responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination.

Katz’s admission of Haniyeh’s assassination, according to Israeli media outlets such as Yedioth Ahronoth and Channel 12, marks the first public acknowledgment of the operation by a senior Israeli official.

Israel has killed nearly 45,500 people, most of them women and children, since October 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.