Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, was assassinated on Wednesday by an explosive device covertly planted in the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official.
Five Middle Eastern officials reported that the bomb had been hidden in the guesthouse approximately two months prior. The guesthouse, operated and guarded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, is located in a large compound known as Neshat in a wealthy neighborhood of northern Tehran.
Mr. Haniyeh was in Iran’s capital for the presidential inauguration. According to the five officials, the bomb was detonated remotely after confirmation that he was in his room at the guesthouse. The explosion also killed a bodyguard.
The blast shook the building, shattered some windows, and caused a partial collapse of an exterior wall, as confirmed by the two Iranian officials from the Revolutionary Guards who were briefed on the incident. A photograph of the building shared with The New York Times showed the extent of the damage.
Mr. Haniyeh, who had led Hamas’s political office in Qatar, had previously stayed at the guesthouse during his visits to Tehran, according to the Middle Eastern officials. All officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide sensitive details about the assassination.
