A truck carrying the coffins containing the bodies of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
Explosive bombs, remote control and artificial intelligence: How Mossad killed Hamas leader in Iran
Israel's Mossad assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya by detonating explosives that had been detonated beforehand in his official residence's bedroom. Two Iranian government officials in Tehran confirmed this to Axios.
Why it matters: The fact that Mossad managed to plant explosives in a high-security facility shows not only how deeply Israeli intelligence is penetrated in Iran, but also the vulnerability of Iran's intelligence and security services.
Details of the planted explosives were first reported by The New York Times and confirmed to Axios by two sources.
What's driving the news: The explosion that killed Haniya occurred on Tuesday night, but the official announcement of his killing came hours later, on Wednesday morning.
Hamas' initial statement said Haniya was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Iranian media initially reported that three missiles were fired from a drone. They later reported that the missiles were fired from outside Iran.
Behind the scenes: Sources say Israeli intelligence knew which facility, and exactly which room, Haniya had been staying in during his visit to Tehran.
The bomb was planted in the room beforehand, the sources said.
They added that the bomb was a high-tech device using artificial intelligence.
It was detonated remotely by Mossad operatives located inside Iranian territory after receiving information that Haniya was indeed in the room.
The Revolutionary Guard said it had opened an investigation into the incident.
Israel did not notify the United States or other allies before the attack.
But sources said Israeli officials briefed U.S. officials on details of the operation on Wednesday night.
Your statement: Israel Defense Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said at a press conference on Thursday that there were no Israeli air or missile strikes anywhere in the Middle East on Tuesday night, except for Beirut.
He alleged that Iran had been operating for the past year to smuggle high explosive devices to terrorist groups in the West Bank.
The big picture: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reports directly to Mossad, decided to assassinate Haniya.
Sources said negotiations to release hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and reach an agreement on a ceasefire were taken into account in the decision-making process.
One of the sources said Mossad's position was that Haniya's killing brings justice to the victims of the October 7 attack and removes an obstacle to the hostage trade. The source argued that Haniyeh has been tougher on the agreement than Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, making it more difficult to reach an agreement.
"Haniyeh has been pragmatic with the mediators but has taken a hardline stance within Hamas," the source said.
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