The Mossad reportedly hired Iranian security agents to plant explosives in rooms where Ismail Haniyeh, former leader of Hamas, was staying, the UK-based newspaper The Telegraph reported on Saturday.
The Telegraph cited two Iranian officials in their report.
According to the report, the original plan was to assassinate Haniyeh when he visited Iran to attend the funeral of former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in May.
However, the operation was not executed due to a large chance of failure and the large crowds inside the building, the Iranian officials told The Telegraph.
The reporting noted that two agents placed explosive devices in three rooms in the guesthouse frequented by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Haniyeh was also reported to be a frequent guest of this location.
Iranian officials allegedly have CCTV footage of the building and stated that agents were seen “moving stealthily” and entering and exiting several rooms in the span of mere minutes.
Telegraph alleges agents left country
The Telegraph reported that the agents left the country but maintained a close source in Iran. They detonated the explosives from abroad last week, killing Haniyeh.
An IRGC official told The Telegraph, “They are not certain that Mossad hired agents from the Ansar al-Mahdi protection unit,” an IRGC unit responsible for protecting high-ranking officials.
“Upon further investigation, they discovered additional explosive devices in two other rooms,” the IRGC official told The Telegraph.
