Iran said the “short-range projectile” that killed Hamas political wing chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was fired from outside his residence. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement on Saturday saying that the Hamas leader was killed when the projectile struck him, according to Al Jazeera.
“(The attack) was carried out by firing a short range projectile carrying about 7 kilograms of explosive materials and launched from outside the guests residency,” the IRGC said in its statement.
The IRGC said that Israel will receive “a harsh punishment in due time and place”, accusing it of Haniyeh’s assassination. It also said the assassination was “supported by the criminal government” of the United States.
Israel did not confirm or deny if they were involved in the attack. The US said it was neither aware of, nor involved in the killing of Haniyeh.
It should be noted that the statement by the IRGC comes days after US-based newspaper the New York Times said in a report that Haniyeh was killed using explosives that were planted in his northern Tehran guesthouse where he lived whenever he visited Iran.
Haniyeh was killed early Wednesday in the Iranian capital where he was attending the swearing-in of the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran and Hamas have vowed to retaliate.
In Iran, the voices clamouring for revenge have intensified since Haniyeh’s killing.
On Saturday, the ultraconservative Kayhan daily said retaliatory operations were expected to be “more diverse, more dispersed and impossible to intercept.”
“This time, areas such as Tel Aviv and Haifa and the strategic centres and especially residences of some officials involved in the recent crimes are among the targets,” the newspaper said in an opinion piece.
Officials in Iran have arrested more than two dozen individuals, including senior intelligence officers, military officials, and staff from a military-run guesthouse.
Comments
0 comment