One Mystery Solved About Hamas Leader's Killing

When leading Hamas figure Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran this week, one question that lingered was how his killers managed to pull it off. Now, both the New York Times and CNN report they have the answer: Somebody smuggled a bomb weeks ago into the Tehran guesthouse where he'd be staying, and it was detonated remotely after he arrived. The stories are based on accounts from officials of various nations, including the US, who were briefed on the operation after it took place.

Initial reports suggested that Israel conducted an airstrike on the guesthouse, which Haniyeh had stayed in previously, but that raised the question of how the missile would have evaded Iran's air defenses. The new reports say the bomb was hidden about two months ago in the residence, though few details beyond that—including how and where—have surfaced. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the assassination, which threatens to embroil the region in a wider war. (Israel, meanwhile, confirmed that it killed Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif in a separate operation in Gaza.)