Israel’s elite intelligence agency Mossad hired Iranian security agents to plant explosives in a building in Tehran where Ismail Haniyeh, a political leader of the armed Palestinian group Hamas, was living, The Telegraph reports.
The initial plan was to assassinate Haniyeh in May, when he was on a visit to Tehran for the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. According to two Iranian officials who spoke to the Telegraph, the operation was canceled due to the large crowds, which posed a great risk of failure.
Therefore, the operation had to be modified. Two agents working under the direction of Mossad placed explosive devices in three different rooms of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) guesthouse in northern Tehran. The location was strategically chosen because it was likely that Haniyeh would be staying there.
How does Mossad work?
With an annual budget of $3 billion and 7,000 employees, Mossad is the second-largest spy agency in the West after the CIA.
Mossad has many departments, but the details of its internal structure are mostly hidden. It has a network of informants and agents not only inside Palestinian terrorist groups, but also in hostile countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Iran. The intelligence agency’s vast spy network provides them with in-depth information about the movements of terrorist leaders, enabling them to carry out precise assassinations when required.
Explained | How does Mossad work and why did it fail to prevent Hamas attack?
The Special Operations Division, also known as Metsada, carries out highly sensitive assassination, sabotage, paramilitary and psychological warfare missions.
Operation to eliminate Haniyeh
According to The Telegraph, surveillance footage in possession of Iranian authorities shows agents moving stealthily, entering and exiting multiple rooms in a matter of minutes. After planting the device, they left Iran without being caught, but a source within the country kept them informed. At 2 a.m. on Wednesday, the operatives remotely detonated explosives in the room where Haniyeh was staying.
The explosion resulted in the death of Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The killing has been confirmed by IRGC officials, who now believe that the Mossad carried out the operation using agents from the Ansar al-Mahdi Security Unit, a group responsible for protecting high-ranking officials inside and outside the country.
“This is a humiliation for Iran and a huge security lapse,” an IRGC official told the Telegraph. The official added that a special working group has been set up to devise strategies to mitigate the possibility of such a breach.
potential consequences
In response to this breach, the IRGC is considering its options for retaliation. A direct attack on Tel Aviv, which could involve Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies, is reportedly a primary option under evaluation.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overturned Iran’s political and social structure, the country has made a conscious effort to extend its influence in the Middle East through proxy groups.
Explained | The Axis of Resistance and Iran’s Proxy Network in the Middle East
The Quds Force, one of five branches of the IRGC, specializes in intelligence and covert operations, and serves as the main point of contact for these proxy groups, providing them with arms and training to strengthen Iran’s regional agenda.
The assassination occurred on the first day of President Pezeshkian’s inauguration, raising doubts about the motive behind the assassination. During his campaign, President Pezeshkian had promised to stay away from the Islamic Republic’s provocative policies and restore Iran’s status quo through dialogue.
President Pezeshkian, a veteran jurist and cardiologist, has long championed domestic and international reforms in Iran. His victory in recent elections is seen as a call for change as it follows general unhappiness with the hardline policies of his predecessors. But the dynamics of Iranian politics, where hardliners still control a majority and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ultimate authority, will serve to test Mr. Pezeshkian’s ability to fulfill his vision.
