Bomb That Killed Top Hamas Leader Was ‘Covertly’ Planted Months Prior

The bomb used to assassinate a top Hamas leader this week was “covertly” planted months before it was detonated, officials told CNN and The New York Times.

The killing of Ismail Haniyeh came as a shock to many in the Middle East early Wednesday morning, with the fatal blast taking place inside a heavily guarded complex in Iran.

That complex was reportedly compromised two months prior, however, without the 62-year-old’s knowledge. Officials did not tell the outlets how, exactly, the bomb was smuggled inside the compound’s walls.

Middle eastern officials told the Times the bomb was hidden away in a guesthouse used by Haniyeh that was run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Those officials also told the Times the bomb was detonated remotely, shaking the ground under the large compound known as Neshat, which is tucked away in an upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran. Iranian state media and Hamas had previously indicated that Haniyeh was killed by a rocket fired from outside the building.

Haniyeh was visiting Tehran for its presidential inauguration at the time of the blast, which also killed a bodyguard. He reportedly frequented the guesthouse when he left his home in Qatar to visit Iran, a key Hamas ally.

Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the assassination, but has been widely considered to have been involved if not outright behind the attack. Both Iranian and Hamas officials have claimed Israel was responsible for the assassination and U.S. officials who spoke to the Times said they’d reached a similar assessment.

The assassination threatens to usher in another wave of violence in the region, which has been unstable since war between Hamas and Israel broke out in Gaza, creating a humanitarian crisis there. Joe Biden and U.S. officials have called for a ceasefire for months, and Haniyeh had reportedly been a top negotiator in the ceasefire talks.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Wednesday that the U.S. had received no advance knowledge of an assassination plot from Israel.

Three Iranian officials told the Times the slaying was a “catastrophic failure” of intelligence and security at the compound, which is used to house prominent guests like Haniyeh. The officials reportedly added that the assassination was a “tremendous embarrassment” to the compound guards.

The blast rang out around 2 a.m. Wednesday, with Iranian authorities saying Haniyeh was killed instantly. The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, was staying next door, the Times reported, but his room was not badly damaged.