Details Of Hamas Leader's Assassination Are Straight Out Of A Tom Clancy Book
The plan to kill Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh sounds like it was ripped straight from the pages of a Tom Clancy thriller.
The terrorist leader was killed earlier in the week while in Tehran, Iran for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and while no country has taken responsibility, all signs point to the Israelis being responsible.
How exactly did Haniyeh get blown up? There has been some speculation the Israelis fired a missile from outside Iranian airspace.
It turns out the alleged details of Haniyeh getting waxed are infinitely cooler.
Details of Ismail Haniyeh's start to emerge. (Photo by Momen Faiz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Details emerge on killing of Ismail Haniyeh.
The New York Times released Thursday an incredibly detailed and in-depth report of Haniyeh's assassination, citing seven sources, and it reads like the plot of a great spy film.
The NYT reports that the now-dead Hamas leader wasn't killed by an airstrike. Instead, he was blown up by a bomb "covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying."
While that's pretty cool on its own, the details are even more impressive. The bomb had been there for as long as two months prior to Haniyeh's arrival.
That would put the bomb's installation in the residence around late May. Do you all remember what else happened around the same time?
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19th. The timeline suggests the Israelis planted the bomb in anticipation the residence would eventually be used by a potential target for the inauguration of Masoud Pezeshkian, which is exactly what happened.
The explosive device was detonated once it was confirmed Haniyeh was in the room. While it's not clear how this was done, it was likely done with direct eyes-on surveillance or with human intelligence on the ground. The explosion also killed a bodyguard.
Ismail Haniyeh was blown up in an assassination carried out earlier in the week. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
There's badass covert ops and then there's incredible level of badass operation. This is next level. Iran, while not a super wealthy country, has a very significant security and intel apparatus.
The fact someone - presumably the Israelis - snuck a bomb into a residence reserved for VIPs and it went unnoticed for two months is nothing short of crazy.
The fact the people carrying out the operation also waited until they knew Haniyeh was in the room makes me think they could have an intel asset working directly in the compound. Never count out HUMINT.
Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran. (Photo by -/KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty Images)
It's always a good thing when a terrorist leader gets wiped out, and a movie about this would likely be a much-watch. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.