Ismail Haniyeh, a senior leader of Hamas, was reportedly assassinated on Wednesday by an explosive device hidden in the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, according to Middle Eastern and American officials, sources told the New York Times.

The bomb, planted two months earlier, was concealed in a guesthouse run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in an upscale area of Tehran, sources claimed.

Haniyeh was in Tehran for the presidential inauguration when the remotely detonated bomb exploded, killing him and a bodyguard. The explosion caused significant damage to the building, including shattered windows and a partially collapsed wall, according to officials and photographs shared with The New York Times.

The assassination, orchestrated by Israeli Occupation, threatens to escalate violence in the Middle East and disrupt ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, where Haniyeh had been a key negotiator.

Israeli Occupation intelligence briefed U.S. and Western governments on the operation, though Israeli Occupation has not publicly claimed responsibility.

The assassination is considered a major security breach for Iran, as the compound is heavily guarded by the IRGC. The exact method of how the bomb was planted remains unclear, but officials say the operation required extensive planning and surveillance. Iranian officials described the attack as a catastrophic intelligence failure.