The compound in Tehran where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed on Wednesday by a bomb smuggled in 'months ago'

Mossad agents in Iran detonated an explosive device in the bedroom of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, which had been planted months earlier, it has been reported.

The bomb was placed two months ago in the house, which is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to The New York Times, which cited seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the report to The Telegraph.

The bomb was detonated remotely when it was confirmed that the Hamas leader was inside the guesthouse. Haniyeh had apparently stayed in the guest house several times in the past.

Two IRGC officials said the explosion shook the building, and shattered some windows. The severe security breach was described as “catastrophic” and a “tremendous embarrassment” for the IRGC, according to the three Iranian officials.

US outlet Axios reported that Mossad was behind the assassination and planted the explosive device in Haniyeh’s bedroom.

The bomb was reportedly a “high-tech device that used artificial intelligence”.

While Israel has not taken responsibility for the assassination, five Middle Eastern officials said the US and Western governments were briefed by Israeli intelligence in the aftermath of the blast.

The planning of the attack took months and required extensive surveillance of the compound, the officials added.

Israel was bracing itself for Iran to respond with one official telling The Telegraph “sensitive sites” were being protected across the country.

While Hamas said that the response will be harsh, the terror group said neither it nor Iran are interested in a regional war.

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, said that Israel “crossed a line” with its killing of a senior commander in Beirut on Tuesday, and that Israel won’t know where the response will come from.

Israel should expect “rage and revenge on all the fronts supporting Gaza”, Nasrallah said.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli  prime minister, said the country was “prepared for what may come”.

“Israel is in a state of very high readiness for any scenario – on both defence and offence,” he said.

“We will exact a very high price for any act of aggression against us from any quarter whatsoever.”

‘Evaluating options’

An official within the IRGC told The Telegraph that Iran is considering targeting Tel Aviv in revenge for Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.

“Top commanders were awake all night evaluating the options. Now that Mr Haniyeh’s funeral has concluded, they are discussing practical responses,” said the IRGC official who attended the funeral.

“The first step is to determine the country from which the attack originated, that will be our initial target. Targeting Tel Aviv directly is under consideration but has not been approved yet. The commanders need to review our options.

“There are also discussions about coordinating a missile attack with Hezbollah, but first, they must pinpoint the exact launch site.

“The response will come from Sepah [the IRGC] in coordination with other military forces.”

On Thursday, Israel confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the Hamas chief-of-staff, more than two weeks after it launched a deadly airstrike in Gaza to kill him.

“Deif was responsible for the terrible massacre of October 7 as well as for many murderous terrorist attacks against the citizens of Israel. He was Israel’s most wanted fugitive for many years,” Mr Netanyahu said.

The IDF said fighter jets conducted a “precise, targeted strike on a compound in which Mohammed Deif and Rafa’a Salameh, the Commander of Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade, were located”.

Lebanon did not expect Beirut to be hit

Haniyeh’s body was brought to Qatar on Thursday, following a public funeral in Tehran.

He will be buried in Doha on Friday, after prayers at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque. The Hamas leader lived in Qatar along with other senior exiled members of the terror group.

The burial, Hamas said, will be held “with popular and factional attendance and the participation of Arab and Islamic leaders”.

Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Tehran on Thursday to pay their respects to the terror leader, following a ceremony attended by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and top IRGC leaders.

Both Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh.

Israel has not taken responsibility for the assassination, but when IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari was asked about it during a press briefing on Thursday, he said: “There was no additional airstrike in the Middle East that night, nor was there any missile or UAV”, referring to an Israeli airstrike the same night that killed a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Hezbollah did not clear sensitive sites or evacuate top officials in Beirut ahead of that Israeli strike as the group believed that the US would convince Israel not to strike the capital, Reuters reported, citing diplomats and security sources close to Hezbollah.

“We were not expecting them to hit Beirut and they hit Beirut,” Abdallah Bou Habib, Lebanon’s foreign minister, told Reuters.

Several diplomats told Reuters that there was a “clear message sent” to Lebanon that Israel would not attack big cities.

“Israelis do not listen to a word that we tell them. They are following their plan and don’t listen to us,” a European diplomat told Reuters.

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Hezbollah believed US diplomacy would prevent Israel’s attack on Beirut

Hezbollah did not clear its sensitive sites or evacuate top officials in Beirut before this week’s attack by Israel as it believed US-led diplomacy would keep Israel from striking the area, sources have revealed.

The Lebanese militant group thought Israel would not hit the its heartlands in the southern suburbs as it believed Israeli forces would adhere to unofficial red lines, security sources close to Hezbollah and diplomats said.

That understanding was shattered on Tuesday when an Israeli strike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh killed Hezbollah’s top military commander, an Iranian military adviser and five civilians.

Lebanese officials and Hezbollah now question whether diplomatic assurances had been relayed to the group accurately.

“We were not expecting them to hit Beirut and they hit Beirut,” Lebanon’s foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said.

03:21 PM BST

Watch: Israel kills ‘Osama Bin Laden of Gaza’

Israel’s military released a video on Thursday of the airstrike it said killed Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’s military wing.

The footage shows a July 13 attack southern Gazan city of Khan Younis. A huge explosion could be seen close to tightly-packed homes, which local health authorities said left at least 90 people dead and injured dozens more.

Known as “The Guest”, Deif was hunted for decades by Israel as he hid deep within Hamas’s terror tunnels that he helped to design. He was the second in command of Hamas inside Gaza and considered the mastermind behind the Oct 7 attacks.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, posted footage of him drawing an X over the face of Deif, calling him the “Osama Bin Laden of Gaza”, as he vowed to pursue all Hamas terrorists behind Oct 7.

“We will not rest until this mission is accomplished,” he declared.

03:10 PM BST

Taliban official accuses Iran of Haniyeh’s assassination

A Taliban official has accused Iran of orchestrating the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Hamid Khorasani, a commander of the Taliban’s suicide squad in Afghanistan, made the claim in a video statement on Wednesday.

Surrounded by heavily armed suicide forces, Khorasani said, “Israel and Iran are two sides of one coin,” suggesting a highly unlikely collaboration between the two long-standing enemies.

The Taliban commander didn’t mince words in his criticism of Iran’s leadership. “Iran’s brutal and oppressive regime and God damn Khamenei have hands in these targeted killings,” Khorasani said, directly implicating Iran’s supreme leader in the assassination.

These accusations stand in contrast to the official stance of the Taliban leadership.

In their official statement, the Taliban condemned the assassination of Haniyeh, describing him as “the distinguished, wise, and resolute Palestinian leader.”

The statement continued: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regards defending Hamas and the sacred land of Palestine as both an Islamic and humanitarian duty.”

02:44 PM BST

IDF limits movement of hazardous materials in north Israel

Israel’s military has been limiting the transportation of hazardous materials to several factories in northern Israel as a precaution.

The country is currently bracing itself for a response to the assassinations this week of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

A military source told the Times of Israel that the relevant factories have not been ordered to halt their operations.

02:05 PM BST

Shadow war: Decades of targeted killings on Iranian soil

The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has once again put the spotlight on Israel’s suspected covert operations within Iran.

While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, the incident fits a pattern of high-profile killings attributed to Israeli intelligence services over the past two decades.

Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been targeted in similar attacks over the years.

Nov 2020 - Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: Described as the “father of Iran’s nuclear programme” by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Fakhrizadeh was killed while driving near Tehran.

Jan 2017 - Ardeshir Hasanpour: Reportedly killed by “radioactive gas,” Mr Hasanpour’s death marked one of the first assassinations of nuclear scientists in Iran.

Nov 2019 - Majid Shahriari and Fereydoun Abbasi: Both physicists and professors at Tehran’s Beheshti University were targeted in separate but coordinated attacks in northern Tehran.

Shahriari was killed, while Abbasi survived and was later appointed as the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation.

Dec 2011 - Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan: The 32-year-old was killed by a bomb attached to his Peugeot 405 near Ketabi Square in Tehran.

Dec 2008 - Masoud Alimohammadi: A professor of quantum physics at Tehran University was killed by an explosion outside his home in Tehran.

August 2020 - Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah: Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command was killed in an attack in Tehran along with his daughter.

Iranian officials have reported similarities in many of these attacks, including the use of motorcyclists to carry out the assassinations, magnetic bombs attached to the victims’ vehicles and targeted strikes in urban areas of Tehran.

Despite the numerous attacks attributed to Israel, the country has never officially claimed responsibility for these operations.

01:23 PM BST

Iranian military adviser killed in Beirut strike, says Iran

The Israeli airstrike that killed a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut on Tuesday also killed an Iranian military adviser, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said in a statement that seven people, including two children, were killed in the attack on a residential building in a densely-populated suburb on the outskirts of Lebanon’s capital.

01:18 PM BST

South Africa condemns Haniyeh killing

South Africa’s government on Thursday condemned the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and said it risked plunging the Middle East into further turmoil.

South Africa has been an outspoken opponent of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and likens the plight of Palestinians to that of its own black population during the apartheid era - a comparison Israel rejects.

“South Africa is concerned that the assassination of Dr Haniyeh and the continuous targeting of civilians in Gaza will further spiral the already tense situation in the entire region,” the government’s department of international relations and cooperation said in a statement.

It conveyed its condolences to Haniyeh’s family and called for an investigation into his killing.

12:59 PM BST

Hamas spokesman refuses to confirm reports of Mohammed Deif’s death

A Hamas spokesperson stated on Thursday that confirming or denying the death of any of its leaders is a matter for the leadership of Hamas’s military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, according to the Washington Post.

Izzat al-Rishq added that it is not possible to confirm any of the news reports, following Israel’s announcement that it had killed Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.

12:36 PM BST

Iran’s plans for revenge against Israel ‘under review’

Iran’s military leadership has announced that it is actively considering various options to retaliate against Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, confirmed that plans for retaliation are under active consideration.

“The response of the resistance axis, us and the methods we will use in retaliation are currently under review,” Maj-Gen Bagheri said, referring to Iran and its allied groups across the Middle East.

His comments suggest that the response may not be limited to direct Iranian action but could potentially involve allied militant groups in the region.

Bagheri emphasised the certainty of a response, declaring, “This [retaliation] will definitely be executed. We will take various measures, and the Zionists will undoubtedly come to regret their actions.”

12:19 PM BST

39,840 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza to date

Israeli attacks in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of at least 35 Palestinians and injuries to another 55 people over the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry in the enclave.

The ministry reported that “a number of victims remain trapped under rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defence crews are unable to reach them”.

A total of 39,480 Palestinians have been killed and 91,128 have been wounded in the conflict to date.

11:56 AM BST

Watch: Thousands mourn the death of Haniyeh in Tehran

11:45 AM BST

Iran’s president pledges to boost support for Hamas

Iran’s new president has pledged to boost the Islamic Republic’s support for Hamas and other “resistance” forces in the Middle East.

Masoud Pezeshkian assured Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya that “Iran’s leadership, nation, and government remain steadfast in their support for the resilient and oppressed Palestinian people.”

“We will continue to strengthen our backing for the axis of resistance, particularly for the Palestinian people and the oppressed in Gaza,” he said at a meeting of Iran’s regional allies from Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

“Martyr Ismail Haniyeh’s martyrdom is doubly sad for us as he was an official guest of the president and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.

11:28 AM BST

Australia’s PM urges citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon

Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, has urged thousands of Australian citizens in Lebanon to leave as he warned the Beirut airport could soon close.

“I take the opportunity to say to Australians: Do not travel to Lebanon at the moment,” Albanese told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

“There is a risk that the Beirut airport might not be open for commercial flights and given the numbers of people who are there, there’s no guarantee that we can just guarantee that people will be able to come home through other means if that airport is shut.”

Albanese said he was “very concerned” that conflict in the Middle East would escalate in the wake of Ismail Haniyeh’s killing and said he wants to see de-escalation, a ceasefire in Gaza and all of the hostages released.

11:20 AM BST

Iran in crunch talks with regional allies

Top Iranian officials will meet the representatives of Iran’s regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen on Thursday to discuss potential retaliation against Israel after the killing of the Hamas leader in Tehran, five sources told Reuters.

The region faces a risk of widened conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies following the twin assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday and a senior Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut on Tuesday.

11:08 AM BST

Iran imposes internet blackout around Haniyeh’s funeral site

Iranian users and institutions monitoring internet freedom have reported significant disruptions in internet service in areas surrounding the funeral of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s slain political head.

According to reports, internet connectivity was “broken or severely disrupted” in these areas.

Filterban, an Iranian organisation monitoring internet access, said that internet service interruptions occurred concurrently with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatolah Ali Khamenei’s prayer for Haniyeh.

The disruptions affected areas ranging from Enghelab to Valiasr neighbourhoods in Tehran.

Filterban also reported that some users experienced the disconnection of mobile phone services starting around 10am local time.

11:04 AM BST

Pictured: The aftermath of the strike on Gaza ‘that killed Deif’

10:43 AM BST

The collapse of Hamas ‘closer than ever’ after Deif’s death

Hamas’s collapse is “closer than ever” in the wake of Muhammad Deif’s death, said Israel’s hard-Right finance minister.

“The defeat of Hamas is closer than ever and we are fighting on all fronts,” Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X.

“Hamas chief of staff Muhammad Deif is eliminated, Hezbollah chief of staff Fuad Shukar is eliminated, many thousands of terrorists including very senior ones were eliminated, and we will continue like this until we destroy them all, restore security and bring the hostages back home.”

10:26 AM BST

Crowds fill streets of Tehran for mass funeral of Hamas leader

Huge crowds have filled the streets of Tehran for the mass funeral of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was assassinated in Iran’s capital.

Iran’s supreme leader and representatives of Palestinian militias led the prayers over the coffins of Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an airstrike blamed on Israel early on Wednesday.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed “severe punishment” for Israel and said avenging Haniyeh’s death was “Tehran’s duty”, while Israel has stayed silent.

Mourners wept, threw flowers at the coffins and chanted “death of Israel” as the bodies were moved through the city towards Azadi Square.

The remains of Haniyeh, who became the face of Hamas’s international diplomacy, will be transferred to Qatar for burial on Friday.

His death, which swiftly followed an Israeli strike on Beirut that killed a top Hezbollah commander, has risked escalating the Middle East crisis into regional war.

10:09 AM BST

Iran orders direct attack on Israel in revenge for Hamas chief killin

Iran’s supreme leader has ordered a direct attack on Israel in response to its apparent targeted killing of a senior Hamas official, according to leaks from Tehran.

Iranian commanders are considering using drones and missiles on military targets near Tel Aviv and the city of Haifa, Iranian officials told the New York Times late on Wednesday. Another official said there could be a coordinated attack from Iran’s proxies in the region.

Experts and analysis say the attack will likely be carefully calibrated to avoid civilian deaths or trigger a further retaliation from Israel.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, issued the order at an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council, sources said, just hours after Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.

Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killing, which happened as Haniyeh was attending an event swearing-in Iran’s new president.

Israel has neither acknowledged nor denied killing Haniyeh, though it has a long history of killing its enemies in foreign locations.

09:53 AM BST

Gallant draws X over face of ‘Osama Bin Laden of Gaza’

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, has posted an image of him drawing an X on the face of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’s military wing, who Israel confirmed as dead on Thursday.

“Muhammad Deif, the ‘Osama Bin Laden of Gaza,’ was eliminated on 13.07.24. This is a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza, and in the achievement of the goals of this war,” he wrote.

Mr Gallant added: “Israel’s defense establishment will pursue Hamas terrorists - both the planners and the perpetrators of the 07.10 massacre. We will not rest until this mission is accomplished.”

09:47 AM BST

Iran considering targeting Tel Aviv - IRGC official

An official within Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has told the Telegraph that Iran is considering targeting Tel Aviv in revenge for Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.

“Top commanders were awake all night evaluating the options. Now that Mr. Haniyeh’s funeral has concluded, they are discussing practical responses,” said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official who attended the funeral.

“The first step is to determine the country from which the attack originated, that will be our initial target. Targeting Tel Aviv directly is under consideration but has not been approved yet. The commanders need to review our options.

“There are also discussions about coordinating a missile attack with Hezbollah, but first, they must pinpoint the exact launch site.

“The response will come from Sepah [the IRGC] in coordination with other military forces.”

The Islamic Republic has not yet disclosed the details of Haniyeh’s assassination. However, a senior Hamas official indicated the attack was carried out by a missile. “It was a missile,” Khalil al-Hayya told reporters in Tehran.

“The missile targeted the room where Ismail Haniyeh was present. The impact shattered the windows and caused the walls to collapse. An investigation by our Iranian brothers is ongoing,” he added.

09:35 AM BST

Israel confirms death of Hamas’s top military commander

Israel has officially confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’s military wing, who it announced was killed during an air strike on Gaza on July 13.

Deif, who was second in command of Hamas inside Gaza and was accused of masterminding the Oct 7 attacks on Israel, died during a precision strike on a compound in the southern city of Khan Younis.

“Over the years, Deif directed, planned, and carried out numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel. Deif operated side-by-side with Yahya Sinwar, and during the war, he commanded Hamas’ terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip by issuing commands and instructions to senior members of Hamas’ Military Wing,” Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

09:28 AM BST

Western diplomats racing to stop full-blown war in Middle East

EU and US diplomats are holding urgent diplomatic discussions in a race to prevent a full-blown war regional war erupting across the Middle East.

Enrique Mora, one of the EU’s most senior diplomats, was holding crunch talks with Iranian officials in Tehran on Wednesday, while Brett McGurk, the White House’s top diplomat in the Middle East, held discussions in Saudi Arabia.

“Everyone since last night is putting pressure on Tehran to not respond and to contain this,” said one western diplomat involved in the discussions told the Financial Times in reference to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.

Officials are said to be focused on convincing Tehran not to respond or instead to carry out symbolic action after Israeli diplomats said their military planned no further action.

09:06 AM BST

China says it hopes for an independent Palestine state soon

China hopes Palestinian factions can create an independent state as soon as possible, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday while addressing a query on the killing of the Hamas chief in Iran.

“China earnestly looks forward to all Palestinian factions, on the basis of internal reconciliation, creating an independent Palestinian state as soon as possible,” Lin Jian said during a regular press briefing.

09:00 AM BST

Watch: Iran’s supreme leader speaks with Haniyeh’s sons

Footage has shown the moment Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, spoke to Ismail Haniyeh’s sons after he prayed over their father’s coffin.

Their exchange is mumbled but out of the loudspeaker a man can be heard chanting “victory is near”.

08:52 AM BST

Iran’s parliament speaker blames US for Haniyeh assassination

The speaker of Iran’s parliament has accused the US of orchestrating the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

“We know that the responsibility for these incidents lies with criminal America,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told a huge crowd at Haniyeh’s funeral.

The former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) dismissed the US’s denials, saying: “Even if they claim in the media that they did not know, we know and are certain that all these events, both obvious and hidden, are orchestrated and guided by them.”

Mr Ghalibaf also emphasised Iran’s commitment to respond “at the right time and place”, while dismissing international bodies for what he described as “double standards and violations occurring around the world”.

08:34 AM BST

Pictured: The funeral of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh