Assassination Claims: Tensions Between Hamas, Iran, and Israel

On Wednesday, Hamas and Iranian officials accused Israel of orchestrating the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent political leader within the Palestinian militant organization, during a visit to Tehran. As of now, Israel has not issued any statement regarding the alleged killing of Haniyeh, who is considered a significant ally of Iran in the region. The long-standing rivalry between Iran and Israel has manifested in a covert war, with both nations blaming each other for various acts of sabotage, abductions, and targeted killings throughout the Middle East.

In addition to the accusations surrounding Haniyeh’s death, Iran has previously claimed that Israel was responsible for several high-profile assassinations on its soil. Here are some notable cases:

• Iran’s Top Nuclear Scientist

  In November 2020, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a scientist deemed by both U.S. and Israeli intelligence as a key figure in Iran’s nuclear weapons initiative, was murdered in a meticulously planned ambush. Reports indicate that the assassination was executed using a remote-controlled machine gun. For years, Fakhrizadeh was a primary target for Israeli intelligence, and Iran vehemently accused Israel of orchestrating his death. Although Israel has never officially acknowledged its involvement, U.S. intelligence has suggested that Fakhrizadeh’s academic endeavors were a façade for his work on nuclear armament. This was not the first instance of a scientist associated with the nuclear program being attacked; in 2010, two other nuclear scientists were targeted with car bombs in Tehran, resulting in one fatality and one injury.

• A Revolutionary Guards Commander

  In May 2022, Colonel Sayad Khodayee, an officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was shot and killed by two assailants on motorcycles. Following the assassination, Iran attributed the act to Israel and vowed to seek retribution. Although Israel refrained from making any public comment, it reportedly informed the United States of its involvement in the operation. Israeli officials suggested that Colonel Khodayee was the deputy commander of a covert operations unit responsible for planning and executing assassinations and kidnappings globally. This unit, known as Unit 840, operates under the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards’ branch specializing in espionage and clandestine missions. Notably, Qassim Suleimani, the leader of the Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in 2020.

• Mysterious Poisonings

  In May 2022, two Iranian scientists mysteriously fell ill and died within a short span of days, despite being situated in distant cities. Ayoub Entezari, an aeronautical engineer linked to a military research facility, and Kamran Aghamolaei, a geologist, both exhibited symptoms consistent with food poisoning, leading to rapid deterioration of their health. Iranian authorities suspected that Israel had poisoned the scientists, according to an official statement. While Israel did not comment on these incidents, if it were indeed responsible, this would indicate a troubling escalation of its assassination campaign, extending its reach beyond high-profile nuclear officials and senior military operatives.