Striking claim from the American press: Haniye was killed with a bomb secretly smuggled months ago.

The assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was staying at the state guesthouse in the Iranian capital Tehran, is claimed to have been carried out using a pre-planted bomb rather than a missile. According to the New York Times, the assassins managed to enter the building where Haniyeh would stay by taking advantage of a momentary security gap in Iran and planted the bomb in the room months before the visit.

"IF IT WERE A MISSILE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERCEPTED BY THE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM"

After Haniyeh's assassination at the state guesthouse in Tehran on Wednesday, many allegations emerged. The possibility that Israel hit the room where Haniyeh was staying with a missile fired from an aircraft or drone received wide coverage in the media. However, how Israel managed to hit the target by bypassing Iran's air defense system raised questions.

"THEY MANAGED TO ENTER THE BUILDING AND PLANTED THE BOMB"

According to the New York Times, the assassins managed to enter the building where Haniyeh would stay by taking advantage of a momentary security gap in Iran and planted the bomb in the room months before the visit. The bomb remained undetected for weeks. The assassins triggered the bomb they had planted months ago while Haniyeh was in the room, killing the Hamas leader.

Iranian sources stated that such a mistake is a major intelligence failure for Iran and a disgrace for the Revolutionary Guards. In addition to being a place where high-level guests like Haniyeh stay during their visits to Tehran, the building is also used for secret meetings.

"THEY OBSERVED THE COMPOUND FOR MONTHS"

It is unknown how the bomb was planted in the guesthouse. Middle Eastern officials stated that they believe the compound was observed for months during the planning of the assassination. Iranian officials said they do not know when and how the explosive was planted.

Sources who requested anonymity stated that US intelligence concluded that the attack was carried out by Israel against Iran and Hamas. Although Israel did not openly claim responsibility for the attack, according to sources, Tel Aviv informed Washington and other Western allies before the assassination. In a statement on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had no prior knowledge of the attack.