Tehran: The Israeli spy agency Mossad, one of the most-feared foreign intelligence agencies in the world, reportedly hired Iranian agents to plant explosives with the ultimate goal of assassinating Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, whose killing in Tehran shocked the Middle East and plunged the region into chaos and fear over a possible retaliation from Iran that may spark an all-out war.
According to a report by the UK-based The Telegraph, the agents were hired to plant explosives in three separate rooms of a building where Haniyeh was staying. This plan was concocted when the Hamas leader was attending the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash, in May.
However, the plan was scrapped because of large crowds outside the building and the high possibility of failure, two Iranian officials told the newspaper. The agents instead placed explosive devices in three rooms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) guesthouse in north Tehran where Haniyeh might stay. The agents were soon moving stealthily as they carried out the high-risk operation and exited multiple rooms within minutes.
The operatives snuck out of the country but had a source in Iran. At 2 am on Wednesday, they detonated the explosives planted in Haniyeh's room from abroad, killing the Hamas chief and one of his bodyguards. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian. “They are now certain that Mossad hired agents from the Ansar al-Mahdi protection unit,” an official within the IRGC told the Telegraph from Tehran.
Failure of Iranian intelligence and security
The Iranian official said two more explosive devices were found ina couple of rooms after the attack, while a second official within the IRFC called it a "humiliation" for Iran and a massive security breach. There is now an internal blame game taking over the IRGC, with different sectors accusing each other of the failure to prevent the attack.
Esmail Qaani, the commander of the IRGC Quds force, has been summoning people to be fired, arrested and possibly executed, said the official. "The breach has humiliated everyone... The Supreme Leader has summoned all the commanders several times over the past two days, he wants answers. For him, addressing the security breach is now more important than seeking revenge."
The brazen attack on Haniyeh has dealt a critical blow to the Palestinian militant group and exposed the 'catastrophic failure' of Iran's intelligence and security. The United States had earlier said it was not aware of the attempt on Haniyeh's life and neither was it responsible for the attack. However, Israeli officials had briefed the US and other Western governments about the operation in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the New York Times reported citing officials.
Other officials said such an attack, which evaded Iranian air defence systems, was a failure of Tehran's intelligence and security agencies and a "tremendous embarrassment" for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp as the attack occurred in the heart of the country. The operation likely took months and required extensive surveillance of the compound.
Troubles for new Iranian President
The assassination of Haniyeh in the Iranian capital has intensified fears about Israel’s reach and influence within Iran, while also coinciding with Pezeshkian's first day in office. A close aide to Pezeshkian suggested to The Telegraph that the security lapse may have been an intentional bid by the IRGC to harm the new president’s reputation.
"No unharmed brain can accept that this happened by accident, especially on Mr Pezeshkian’s first day in office. He may have to go to war with Israel in his first few days in office and it’s all because of the IRGC," he said, adding that the paramilitary force disagreed with Pezeshkian's reformist policies.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had ordered a "direct attack" on Israel in retaliation for Haniyeh's death, according to three Iranian officials, following an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday. Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Haniyeh's killing sent shockwaves through Iran's top leadership, who are now deeply concerned that their security forces may have been infiltrated by Israel.
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