Claims In The Arab World: Iran Had A Hand In Assassinating Hamas Leader Isma'il Haniya

The July 31, 2024 assassination of Isma'il Haniya, head of Hamas' political bureau, in the heart of Tehran just hours after he attended the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, sparked intense debate in the Arab press and social media. While some welcomed his assassination,[1] opponents of the resistance axis took the opportunity to attack Iran for its failure to protect Haniya. Arab journalists and writers accused Iran of collaborating with Israel in the assassination as part of a deal that will allow it to protect its Shi'ite proxies, chiefly Hizbullah and the Houthis. Iran, they wrote, used Hamas and the Palestinian people for its own ends, and pushed Hamas to carry out its dangerous October 7 attack, and then quickly abandoned them once they were no longer useful. The writers urged all Arabs who still regard Iran as their ally to learn a lesson and stop  trusting it.

Conspicuously, the claim that Iran was party to the assassination was heard not only from Hamas' and Iran's opponents in the Arab world but also from elements in the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Hamas' parent organization, and even from elements in Qatar, which shelters and sponsors Hamas. Conversely, Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti, a member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), rejected these accusations, writing on his X account that "all those who claim that Iran assassinated [Haniya] or sold him out are delusional…"[2]

The following is a review of accusations against Iran in the context of Isma'il Haniya's assassination.

Arab Journalists: Iran Was Behind Haniya's Assassination

As stated, opponents of Hamas and Iran in the Arab world presented Haniya's assassination on Iranian soil, in a building secured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as proof that Iran was involved in the assassination.

Anas Al-Ma'arawi, a Syrian journalist who opposes the Iranian axis, wrote: "Isma'il Haniya assassinated in Tehran!!! Haniya was assassinated on the soil of Iran, which sees itself as a strong nuclear power and is trying to take over the Middle East! The only thing that I believe is that Iran is the greatest enemy of the Sunnis and that it is behind all assassinations of Sunnis. Outwardly it  supports the resistance, but in secret it supports the enemies of Islam."[3]

Saudi researcher Muhammad Al-Hadla wrote: "Iran's pathetic and contradiction-ridden statement about Isma'il Haniya's death and the lack of information regarding it give rise to more than one speculation about its role in targeting its distinguished guest. Were his security arrangements reasonable, given that he was staying less than one km from the Iranian president's headquarters and that not one of his bodyguards was killed? These are questions without answers."[4]  

Elements In MB, Qatar: Iran Collaborated With The Mossad In Killing Haniya

The claims that Iran was involved in Haniya's assassination were also heard from elements in the MB movement and in Qatar.

Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib, deputy head of the MB-affiliated Islamic Movement in Israel, wrote, "I cannot be naive [and believe] that Israel's assassination of Isma'il Haniya in the headquarters of the Iranian IRGC was carried out without cooperation from influential Iranian elements, especially given that he was in Iran for no more than 36 hours."[5]

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakol Karman, who is identified with the MB, wrote: "On the day of its new president's inauguration, Iran hands Haniya's head over to Israel as a precious gift."[6]  

Dr. Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan, a Syrian reporter for Al Jazeera, wrote: "The martyr Isma'il Haniya died as he wished and for the sake of [the goal] he long pursued. He was a martyr for Jerusalem… But there is no choice but  to mention that his assassination in the IRGC stronghold in Tehran was carried out in collaboration with the host [i.e., Iran]. Alternatively, the host has exposed his military weakness, [while] it shows its strength against the innocent in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq."[7]

Similar claims were made in articles published in the Qatari press. Jassem Al-Shamari, a columnist for the daily Al-Sharq, likewise wondered how Haniya, a man whose life is threatened, could have been assassinated in a place that is supposed to be so secure. He wrote: "…Haniya's assassination was not surprising, but rather expected. What was surprising was the time, the place and the hands that carried out this political, diplomatic and moral crime. Before we discuss how [it was done], let's discuss the location in which the assassination took place – the Iranian capital, Tehran – and the timing – a few hours after the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

"In events like these, there is a high state of alert in order to protect the [attending] officials, who represent the majority of the world's countries. So how can an assassination take place with such a high alert [in place], and where was the Iranian, or even the Palestinian, security detail of the late Haniya? The man, who was wanted by the Zionist regime, fell victim to betrayal and to a disinterest in his safety… As for how he was assassinated, there are still contradictions and unclarity in this context… Where was the Iranian areal defense and the diplomatic security [arrangements] that are usually provided for important people? This incident shows that Iran was unable to protect this distinguished and important guest…"[8] 

Al-Sharq columnist Ibtisam Aal Sa'd likewise slammed Iran for allowing Haniya to be killed on its soil, and called on it to "investigate this failure to secure its airspace and its territorial sovereignty." She also condemned it for not responding to past assassination of Iranian officials by the Israeli Mossad, and stressed that now, after Haniya's killing, Iran can no longer refrain from responding and suffice with "bombastic slogans and threats that remain on the front pages of the IRGC [papers] or the Iranian foreign ministry's [statements]."[9] 

Iran Sold Out Hamas In A Deal With Israel

Some contended that Iran exploited Haniya and then sold him out as part of a deal with Israel. Palestinian journalist Ayman Khaled wrote: "From [Saleh] Al-Arouri [Haniya's deputy, who was killed in Damascus on January 2, 2024] to Haniya, deal after deal, the informant is the same. Iran has sold out its militias in favor of a new phase."[10]

Saudi researcher Muhammad Al-Hadla wrote: "Iran, which established the resistance [movement] headed by Isma'il Haniya, is now spelling out its end after using it for several decades. Iran sold out Isma'il Haniya as a scapegoat after he became a 'burn card,' and today it is focusing on supporting [Houthi leader] Abd Al-Malik Al-Houthi and on transforming him into one of its most important and strongest proxies in the region, now that it has given up on Jerusalem and the equation has changed." In another post Al-Hadla wrote: "The assassination of Isma'il Haniya in his bedroom in such a precise manner and with such ease cannot [just be the result of] an Israeli security breach – especially given that he was one of Iran's most important proxies in the past two decades and that [the Iranians] were responsible for his security and protection. It is abundantly clear that there was a deal between the Israeli and Iranian governments to get rid of him…"[11]

Saudi journalist Adwan Al-Ahmari wrote: "Isma'il Haniya was a burn card, and the one who burned him apparently had no more use for him."[12]

Saudi writer Dr. Fahd Al-Shelaimi shared a picture of Haniya on his visit to Iran, and commented: "One of the Mossad agents who knew where Haniya was staying is [surely] in this picture."[13]

Khalil Al-Muqdad, a Doha-based journalist and web influencer, posted: "On his first day as president, Masoud Pezeshkian handed Isma'il Haniya's head to the entity [i.e., Israel]. Can there be a [greater] gesture of good faith?"[14]

Saudi journalist Abd Al-Aziz Khames wrote: "In an incident that looks like a scene from a bad comedy, the enemy managed to turn Tehran's security establishment, which is said to be advanced, into a joke. The enemy managed to walk right into its strongholds, which were touted as impregnable, like an honored guest… While the security chiefs were busy congratulating each other on their fictitious achievements and drinking coffee in their fancy offices, the [enemy's] attack teams and aircraft moved with complete freedom and carried out the assassination with impressive accuracy. Some [Iranian] men, and perhaps also some [Iranian] women, who were there on the ground pointed to Haniya's bedroom, their fingers adorned with green [Shi'ite] rings. The Iranian security establishment clearly deserves the prize for best comic actor… "[15]  

Arab Journalists: Iran Is Weak And Cannot Be Trusted; It Is Exploiting The Arabs And Will Not Hesitate To Betray Them

Following Haniya's assassination in Tehran, some Arab journalists and liberals urged all those in the Arab countries who still consider the Iranians as their allies to realize that this country will not hesitate to sell them out if this suits its interests.

Saudi intellectual and researcher Abd Al-Hamid Al-Hakim wrote: "The assassination of Isma'il Haniya is proof of the Iranian regime's contempt for any Arab who does not follow its religious school and for any Shi'ite Arab who is not Iranian. [Iran] handed Haniya over to Israel in order to preserve its interest of protecting Hizbullah… Hamas, and the people of Gaza and Yemen, must learn the lesson, [namely] that anyone who does not follow the religious school of the Iranian regime is a scapegoat [to be used in] a political deal."[16]

Saudi journalist Dr. Abdullah Al-Jadi' stated that Haniya's assassination in Tehran is a message to all those who believe in Iran's power or consider themselves its allies, namely that "your ally is weaker than cobwebs and cannot defend [even] itself, so how can it look after you? This message comes as everyone sees Yemen burning, Gaza wiped off the map and Lebanon attacked. It proves that anyone who wraps himself in the Iranian [shawl] remains naked."[17]

Dr. Waseem Yousef, a UAE-based preacher, criticized the MB for allowing Iran to do as it pleases in the Arab countries and defending it. He wrote: "The MB will not utter a word against the Persians' treason. The Persians have slaughtered Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza with their militias. Yesterday, the greatest of all treacherous deals took place on Persian soil, yet today the  MB is cursing the Arab states and especially the Gulf states and trying to exonerate the Persians again and again. But the one who destroyed Iraq and Syria will not rebuild Jerusalem. May Allah curse all those who ignore the truth. I wish you realized how cheap the Persians hold you…"[18]

Algerian journalist Anwar Malik criticized the followers of Hamas and Iran who refrain from exposing the truth about the Iranian involvement in the assassination yet rush to condemn Saudi Arabia. He added that Iran encouraged Hamas to carry out the dangerous "escapade" of the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel and then  abandoned this movement to its fate. He wrote: "Oh Hamas, in all honesty, Haniya's betrayal took place in Tehran, not in Riyadh… He was assassinated in the heart of Tehran, in a secure military zone that belongs to and is under the control of the IRGC. He was murdered in the most treacherous manner possible, to say the least… and Tehran has so far avoided revealing the truth about it…

"Imagine [what would have happened if Haniya] had stumbled and scratched himself going down the stairs in a hotel in a Saudi city. They would have presented this as a major failed assassination attempt planned by the [Saudi] state…  In fact, even if he died of natural causes in his room, for example during an umrah pilgrimage [a pilgrimage to Mecca outside the Hajj], they would have presented it as murder, invented [all sort of] scenarios, fabricated leaks, and accused senior [Saudi] officials of conspiring with the Mossad...

"Hamas' analysts, its avid supporters on the Al-Jazeera platforms and all its members and followers refuse in advance to cast aspersions on the Ayatollah regime, or even to rebuke it for its helplessness and its failure to protect [Haniya] – a guest who was hosted by [Iran's] official Supreme Leader at an official ceremony… Instead of criticizing the Arab countries for failing to welcome Haniya – who, [as a matter of fact],  visited many of these countries and returned to his home safe and sound – they should direct their criticism at the Ayatollah regime for inviting a man who was then betrayed in his bedroom in the middle of the night… It was a deal plotted by the highest-level apparatuses in the Iranian capital…

"It wasn't the Gulf states that pushed [Haniya] to undertake the risky escapade of the devastating October 7 [attack] and then abandoned him and left the people [of Gaza] to face a war of extermination [on their own]…"[19]