Iranian Political Analyst Emad Abshenas: Netanyahu Went Underground Following Haniyeh's Killing, So Iran Cannot Assassinate Him Until He Comes Out; The U.S. Gave Haniyeh Guarantees That He Would Not Be Targeted

Iranian political analyst Emad Abshenas said in an August 11, 2024 interview with Hewar TV (U.K.) that Iran should "respond in kind" to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by taking out Israeli political and military figures. He said that America had given Haniyeh guarantees through Qatar and Turkey that he would not be targeted and that this is the reason he was moving out in the open.

Emad Abshenas: "Some people say that [Iran] should retaliate in kind. Just like Israel assassinated political and scientific figures in Tehran. Iran should respond by assassinating Israeli political and military figures. The main point in this case is that you cannot carve out such an operation overnight. Today, Netanyahu and his family are living underground. You need to wait for him to get out so you can target him. You cannot target him while he is hiding underground and is heavily protected. You need to wait for an opportunity.

"What they did to the martyr Ismail Haniyeh... The U.S. had given guarantees that Israel would not assassinate him. The martyr Isamail Haniyeh was moving out in the open.

"He was not hiding. Four hours before his martyrdom, he was leisurely walking about in the streets of Tehran because the U.S. had given him those guarantees. The main reason they managed to..."

Interviewer: "Excuse me, this is a very important point. To whom were these guarantees given?"

Abshenas: "To Turkey and Qatar. Relying on these guarantees, he was walking out in the open. He was traveling from one country to another, walking about in, the street because he had American guarantees for his security."

Interviewer: "But he was assassinated in Iran, not in Turkey or Qatar."

Abshenas: "No, the guarantees were delivered to him through Turkey and Qatar. The U.S. gave him those guarantees by saying to Turkey and Qatar that Haniyeh would not be hit, and that Israel had guaranteed that it would not target him because he was the top Palestinian negotiator. This is why he was out in the open. He was not hiding."