Iran says short-range projectile killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh

Televised statement says rocket with a seven-kg warhead used to target residence of Hamas political leader

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack which it blamed on Israel, state TV reported Saturday.

The televised statement said a rocket with a seven-kg (about 15-pound) warhead was used to target the residence of the Hamas political leader in capital Tehran on Wednesday, adding it caused heavy devastation, but didn't share details of the location.

Iranians attend the funeral ceremony of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, some of them holding up posters with his photo and reading in Arabic: "Congratulations Haniyeh!" at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, 1 Aug 2024 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.

“The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the US,” said the Guard's statement and reiterated a call for retaliation.

“The warmongering and terrorist Zionist regime will receive harsh punishment in the suitable time, place, and capacity," it added.

Files: The Gaza Strip's Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh (L) and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan salute together the lawmakers of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party at the Parliament in Ankara on 3 January 2012. The Palestinian militant group Hamas said on 31 July 2024, its political leader Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in Iran and vowed the act "will not go unanswered" (AFP via Getty Images)

Israel had pledged to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s 7 October attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

The assassination has sparked fears of pushing the region into a wider conflict and forcing Iran and Israel into a direct confrontation if Iran retaliates.

In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel which the Jewish state said it intercepted 99 per cent of. It came less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals, marking the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli militant groups like Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.