Hamas leader killed by bomb hidden in guest house two months ago

Explosive smuggled into the building and detonated remotely: Middle East officials

Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, was assassinated on July 31 by an explosive device covertly smuggled into the guest house in Tehran, Iran, where he was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and a US official.

The bomb had been hidden approximately two months ago in the guest house, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials. The guest house is run and protected by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corp and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an upscale neighbourhood of northern Tehran.

Haniyeh was in Iran's capital for the presidential inauguration. The bomb was detonated remotely, the five officials said, once it was confirmed that he was inside his room at the guest house. The blast also killed a bodyguard.

The explosion shook the building, shattered some windows and caused the partial collapse of an exterior wall, according to the two Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guard briefed on the incident. Such damage was also evident in a photograph of the building shared with The New York Times.

Haniyeh, who had led Hamas' political office in Qatar, had stayed at the guest house several times when visiting Tehran, according to the Middle Eastern officials. All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity to share sensitive details about the assassination.

Iranian officials and Hamas said on July 31 that Israel was responsible for the assassination, an assessment also reached by several US officials who requested anonymity.

The assassination threatened to unleash another wave of violence in the Middle East and upend the ongoing negotiations to end the war in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh had been a top negotiator in the ceasefire talks.