NYT 'completely fabricated' report saying Haniyeh killed by remote bomb: Hamas

Hamas representative in Iran Khaled Kaddoumi told The Cradle that Haniyeh was killed by an air-dropped projectile

News Desk

AUG 3, 2024

https://thecradle.co/articles/nyt-completely-fabricated-report-saying-haniyeh-killed-by-remote-bomb-hamas

Speaking to The Cradle, Hamas representative in Iran Khaled Kaddoumi called "ridiculous" and "completely fabricated" a recent New York Times (NYT) report claiming to reveal how Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran this week.

The NYT report from 1 August claimed Haniyeh was killed by an explosive device planted in his room in a guest house controlled by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC). The bomb was planted two months ago and detonated remotely by Israel's intelligence service, the Mossad, NYT report claimed.

Haniyeh was in the Iranian capital, Tehran, for the inauguration of newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian.

In contrast, Kaddoumi stated that Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed by explosives dropped from the air.

"I was there, and the wall and ceiling of the place where he was were collapsed. It is clear from the appearance of the place after the attack, and from the body of the martyr leader Ismail Haniyeh, that the targeting was carried out by an air-dropped projectile," Kaddoumi told The Cradle.

He noted further, "There are ongoing investigations, and technicians who inspected the crime scene will issue detailed reports on what happened."

The Hamas representative told The Cradle, "The cheap scenarios promoted by some Western media about the assassination of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are very ridiculous. The narrative published by the New York Times about Mossad agents planting explosive devices inside the apartment where Haniyeh stayed is completely fabricated … They are trying to evade responsibility and its consequences for Israel."

Kaddoumi made similar comments to the New Arab and Anadolu Agency about Haniyeh's killing.

The NYT story supported the narrative of the Israeli military. After Haniyeh's killing, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said  in a press conference that "The air force was not on any mission that night except for the attack that targeted Beirut."

Haniyeh was killed in the early hours of 1 August. The night before, Israel assassinated top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shakr in an airstrike on a residential building. The strike also killed two women and two children.

The NYT story regarding Haniyeh's killing was authored by Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman, US journalist Mark Mazetti, and US-Iranian journalist Farnaz Fassihi.

Bergman and Mazzetti are veteran reporters with close contacts within the Israeli and US intelligence agencies, respectively.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to respond to Israel's killing of Haniyeh and Shukr while stating that the conflict with Israel is in a "new phase."

"The enemy, and those who are behind the enemy, must await our inevitable response … You do not know what red lines you crossed," he said, in reference to Israel and its most important ally, the US.

The Kayhan daily, which is closely aligned with Iran's IRGC, emphasized that "the Zionists" would "pay blood" for Haniyeh's assassination.

"Avenging the bloodshed of a guest is the host's duty; the world is watching," the daily wrote.