Iran says Israel used 'short-range projectile' with 7kg warhead to kill Hamas leader Haniyeh

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)in a statement Saturday (Aug 3) said that Hamasleader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran by a short-range projectile with a warhead of about sevenkilograms. The IRGC also warned that Iranianrevenge for the attack will be "severe and (taken) at an appropriate time, place, and manner."

However, a New York Times report earlier claimed that a bomb smuggled into Iran months ago was used by Israel to take down the Hamas leader.

Iran earlierdetained several top intelligence officers and military personnelin the aftermath of the killing of the Hamas leader. Staff members of the guest house whereHaniyeh was staying in Tehran were also arrested, reported the New York Times.

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A specialised intelligence unit of the Revolutionary Guards Corps is leading the investigation against the suspected moles inside the regime.

Earlier, Iranian security forces also conducted detailed searches at the guesthouse compound. Security personnel and guards responsible forHaniyeh's security were also interrogated and electronic devices from the site were confiscated.

Israel hired Israeli security agents to kill Haniyeh

Although Israel has not claimed responsibility for the fatal attack on Haniyeh, media reports claim the Jewish nation had hired Iranian security agents to do the job. The Hamas leader was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of Iran's new president. The attack is being considered as an embarrassing intelligence failure on the part of the Shi'ite nation.

The Iranian regime has accused Israel of orchestrating the killing, saying the United States had also greenlighted the attack.

According to Iranian intelligence, Israeli spy agencyMossad hired the assassins from the Ansar-al-Mahdi protection unit, a group responsible for providing security cover to high-ranking officials in and outside Iran.

Israeli network still active in Iran?

In the days leading up to Haniyeh's killing,IranianMinister of Intelligence, Seyed Esmaeil Khatib, had claimed success in eliminating a Mossad spy network in the country.

However, Haniyeh's killing has now laid bare the reality on the ground, as Tehran scrambles to identify suspects in the high-profile killing case.

Watch:Humiliated by Haniyeh's killing in Tehran, Iran acts

According to experts, the narrative that thisincident has formed among the Iranian public is not in the interests of the theocratic regime of the country.

"The perception that Iran can neither protect its homeland nor its key allies could be fatal for the Iranian regime because it basically signals to its foes that if they can't topple the Islamic Republic, they can decapitate it," Ali Vaez, Iran director for the International Crisis Group, was quoted as saying by New York Times.

(With inputs from agencies)