According to several high-ranking officials – including two Iranians and one American – the bomb was hidden in the premises two months before Haniya's visit. It was remotely detonated as soon as it was confirmed that he was in the room, the newspaper writes. Even a guard was killed in the attack.
The residence is used for high-ranking guests, secret meetings, and recreation and is operated and monitored by Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. It is part of a larger complex, known as Neshat, in an exclusive area in northern Tehran.
The explosion shook the house, shattered some windows, and caused parts of an exterior wall to collapse, according to one of the anonymous sources updated by the Revolutionary Guard.
Updated after the attack
Haniya, who led Hamas from the terrorist organization's political headquarters in Qatar, was in the country when Iran's new president was sworn in. He had stayed several times before in the guest residence during his visits to Tehran.
Iran and Hamas blame Israel for the attack. Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack, but according to the anonymous but well-informed sources, the US and other Western governments were immediately informed by Israel's intelligence service about the details after the attack.
According to earlier Iranian reports, Haniya was killed by an air strike. A robot fired from another country allegedly hit his residence at 2 am local time. The robot reports were questioned from several international quarters.
Catastrophic security failure
The fact that Haniya was killed by a hidden bomb in the heavily guarded building in Tehran is seen as a catastrophic security failure by the Revolutionary Guard, according to sources for the respected newspaper The New York Times. The attack was likely prepared for months, according to these sources.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US had not received any prior knowledge of the attack.
