Is Israel's Mossad intelligence agency behind Ismail Haniyeh's assassination?

Ismail Haniyeh, the political face behind the terror organization Hamas has been killed in a missile attack in Tehran. According to many reports, this was a coordinated attack after months of patient intelligence collection by Israel and its agencies. What we do know so far is that he was attending the swearing in ceremony of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

He was killed in his residence in Tehran when he was taking a shower. One body guard is also reported to have died when a precision guided missile hit the room and exploded inside. How did this attack happen? Was Israel and its intelligence agencies involved? These are the questions being asked by the international community.

Israel’s involvement:

After initially not giving any details, the Iranian Government and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG) who is investigating the attack blamed Israel. The Hamas too has accused the country and has vowed to avenge the death of its political leader. The Al Qassam Brigades of Hamas has threatened to avenge this loss. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the involvement of its agencies in this attack.


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Role of Mossad:

Mossad which is one of the most popular intelligence agencies in the world is reported to have been tracking Haniyeh for months in his residence in Doha in Qatar. The process of intelligence collection through HUMINT (Human Intelligence), SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) and TECHINT (Technical Intelligence) is a long process, its collation is even tougher and finally its interpretation is something that is left to the experts.

Mossad agents may have watched his movements in Doha closely and could have very well taken him out during the various peace negotiations but this could have had a political fall-out. When Haniyeh visited Tehran, the attack may have received a green signal from the Israeli top brass.

It has been reported that Shin Bet discovered the exact room in which the Hamas leader was sleeping in. It was then that a precision guided missile hit the target, exploding inside the room and killing him.

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Reactions:

Other than Hamas, many others including Turkey and Iran have reacted to these developments. Iran has threatened to avenge the attack with its new president saying that the country will not be deterred by cowardly attacks.

FAQs

Has Masoud Pezeshkian, promised anything with respect to his presidency?
The Iranian president was sworn in on Tuesday. He is considered to be the moderate face of the Iranian regime and has promised to work with the international community to remove the sanctions levied on it by different countries.

Did Israel attack any other terror organization in recent times?
A few days back, a top Hezbollah leader was killed when Israel attacked him in Beirut in Lebanon. Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike. This was after the organization attacked Israel.