The deputy of the intelligence unit in the Quds Force, the external arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), rejected the possibility of a breach in the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, saying the operation had “different dimensions”.
Spokesman for Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Ebrahim Rezaei told deputies that obtaining “complete information about the assassination requires a careful investigation.”
He added that Iran’s intelligence authorities had assured that the assassination was not the result of a “breach.”
The case “is currently under final investigations,” Rezaei was quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying.
In earlier remarks, a committee member said Israel has a network of influence inside Iran and Tehran. The MP told the reformist ILNA news agency: “What happened is a terrorist act par excellence and deserves a reaction from Iran.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s assistant head of the judiciary announced the formation of a judicial file in Haniyeh’s assassination, a procedure similar to the one that followed the killing of IRGC Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani in a US strike near Baghdad airport in January 2020.
The IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency quoted Sadeq Rahimi as saying: “The Public Prosecutor issued directives on the need to identify and arrest those who were negligent in the Haniyeh assassination, or those who were used as agents.”
Rahimi reiterated accusations that Israel was behind the operation, saying: “There is no doubt that the Zionist entity committed the crime, but investigations are underway to find out whether Israel used infiltrators, agents or committed the crime directly.”
The IRGC Counter-Espionage Department is investigating the alleged infiltration. Iranian security personnel raided the guest house compound where Haniyeh had repeatedly stayed during his visits to Tehran.
The agents placed all members of the hotel staff under custody, arrested some, and confiscated all electronic devices, including personal phones, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, Iranian police denied social networks claims about the arrest of General Hassan Karami, commander of the Iranian police Special Forces, on charges of “espionage in the Haniyeh assassination.”
Both Fars and Tasnim cited the police command as saying that the reports were “false and fabricated.”
