Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, has been assassinated in Tehran, according to an official statement by Hamas released on Wednesday morning.
Hamas said that Haniyeh “died as a result of a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.” Israel has not commented yet.
The Iranian News Agency reported that one of Haniyeh’s bodyguards was also killed after their residence in the capital city was targeted.
In another statement, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said that it would investigate the incident: “We are studying the dimensions of Haniyeh’s martyrdom incident in Tehran.”
Haniyeh had travelled to Tehran to attend Tuesday’s inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Yemen’s Houthis denounced the killing and said in a statement: “The assassination of Haniyeh is a terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of laws.”
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, more than 60 members of Haniyeh’s family were killed in Israeli strikes, including his sister, three of his sons and three grandchildren. In April, he said, “Through the blood of the martyrs and the pain of the injured, we create hope, we create the future, we create independence and freedom for our people and our nation.”
This is a developing news story.