Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Saturday that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a “short-range projectile” that was fired from outside a guesthouse where he was staying in Tehran this week.
The claim comes after The New York Times reported this week that according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official, Haniyeh was killed by a bomb that was covertly smuggled into this guesthouse two months in advance.
If true, the covert mission would deal a humiliating embarrassment to Islamic Republic at the hands of their most hated enemy, Israel.
The IRGC has a long history of lying to Iranians and the rest of the world, so their claims should be taken with a grain of salt.
For example, earlier this year when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel — firing hundreds of missiles and drones at the country — top IRGC generals said that the attack was an overwhelming success, that Israel was not able to stop it, and that the U.S. failed to shoot down the missiles.
In reality, nearly every drone and missile was shot down after a coalition that included Israel, the U.S., and other regional partners coordinated a defense against the attack. Only a few missiles landed in Israel where they caused very minor damage, mostly just some large holes in the ground.
Top Iranian Generals Mohammad Bagheri and Hossein Salami on Missile, UAV Attack against Israel: The Operation Achieved Its Goals; Israel's Air Defenses Were Incapable of Dealing with the Attack; U.S. Failed to Thwart the Operation #Iran #IRGC #JCPOA pic.twitter.com/Lj5d2a2ilR
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) April 14, 2024
Iran has vowed a direct attack on Israel in response to the killing. Officials believe that the attack will include Iran and its largest terrorist proxy group, Hezbollah, which is located to Israel’s north in Lebanon. The attack may also include other Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including the Houthis in Yemen, and various groups in Iraq.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Friday that it was deploying some additional assets to the Middle East and near the Middle East to grow force posture in the region amid an increased threat environment created by Iran.
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The U.S. is replacing the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, which has been deployed in the region, with the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.
The Pentagon is also sending “additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command regions,” according to a statement. “The Department is also taking steps to increase our readiness to deploy additional land-based ballistic missile defense.”
