Iran arrests dozens following Hamas leader’s assassination

Tehran (Quds News Network)- Iran has arrested more than two dozen people in the wake of the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday.

Among those arrested are senior intelligence officers, military officials and staff workers at the guesthouse in Tehran where Haniyeh was assassinated.

According to two Iranians familiar with the investigation, speaking to the New York Times, security officials have also targeted Tehran’s international and domestic airports, reviewing months of camera footage from the arrival and departure lounges and examining flight lists.

They said that Iran believes members of Israeli Mossad’s assassin team are still in the country and their goal is to arrest them.

The sources said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specialized intelligence unit for espionage is handling the investigation.

After the attack, Iranian security agents raided the guesthouse compound, which belongs to the IRGC and which is where Haniyeh frequently stayed — in the same room — on his visits to Tehran. The agents placed all the guesthouse’s staff members under quarantine, arrested some, and confiscated all electronic devices, including personal phones, according to the two Iranians.

A separate team of agents interrogated senior military and intelligence officials with roles in safeguarding the capital. It placed a number of them under arrest until investigations are completed, according to the two Iranians.

When the security agents raided the guesthouse compound, they combed through every inch of it, inspecting surveillance cameras dating back months as well as guest lists.

They also were examining the comings and goings of staff members, who are strictly vetted before employment and drawn from the rank and file of the Guards as well as from the Basij, its paramilitary volunteer task force, the two Iranian officials said.

Haniyeh’s assassination has provoked an outcry from Palestinians and Hamas allies and raised concerns about Iran’s ability to maintain security within its borders.

Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of being responsible for the attack on Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran, although Israel has not claimed responsibility, yet.

On Saturday, the IRG released new details about the assassination of Haniyeh.

In a statement marked “3,” the Revolutionary Guard declared, “Following the terrorist act carried out by the criminal Zionist regime, which led to the martyrdom of the great martyr Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the brave leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and his companion.”

The statement continued, “This action was designed and executed by the Zionist regime with the support of the criminal American government.”

According to the investigation, the assassination was executed by launching a short-range projectile with a warhead weighing approximately 7 kilograms, accompanied by a powerful explosion, from outside the guest accommodation area.

The Revolutionary Guard concluded its statement with a stern warning: “The blood of ‘Martyr Ismail Haniyeh’ will not be shed in vain. The terrorist Zionist regime will face ‘severe punishment’ for this crime at the appropriate time, place, and manner.”

Earlier, exclusive sources told Quds News Network- Arabic new details regarding the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president.

Iranian security experts and specialists suggested that the assassination was likely carried out using an anti-tank missile from a location near the guesthouse where Haniyeh was staying. The area is considered a highly secure zone, heavily guarded by the IRG.

Photos obtained by Quds News Network show the building where Haniyeh was present in Tehran, situated in an open area surrounded by hills, trees, and a mountainous region. Experts believe the missile was launched from the hill opposite the building, a close distance that allowed for precise targeting.

The images also reveal the room where Haniyeh and his companion, Wasim Abu Shaaban, were present, heavily draped in curtains following the assassination.

On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Haniyeh had been killed by a sophisticated bomb planted in his room some two months earlier.

Israel has not denied responsibility for the killing. But asked about Haniyeh’s death at a press conference on Thursday, military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said: “Other than the elimination of senior Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr in Lebanon, we did not conduct any airstrikes that night anywhere in the Middle East.”