Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Saturday that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed this week by a “short-range projectile” fired from outdoors a guesthouse the place he was staying in Tehran.
The declare comes after the New York Instances reported this week that in keeping with seven Center Japanese officers, together with two Iranians and an American official, Haniyah was killed by a bomb that was secretly smuggled into the guesthouse two months in the past.
If true, the key mission would deal a humiliating embarrassment for the Islamic Republic by the hands of its most hated enemy, Israel.
The IRGC has a protracted historical past of mendacity to Iranians and the remainder of the world, so their claims needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
For instance, when Iran launched an unprecedented assault on Israel earlier this yr — firing tons of of missiles and drones on the nation — prime IRGC generals mentioned the assault was an unprecedented success, Israel was unable to cease it, and america failed to fireplace missiles.
In actuality, virtually each drone and missile was shot down after Israel, america and different regional companions coordinated defenses in opposition to the assault. Just a few missiles landed in Israel the place they brought about little or no harm, largely just a few massive holes within the floor.
Prime Iranian Generals Mohammad Bagheri and Hossein Salami Missiles, UAV Strikes Towards Israel: Operation Achieves Its Objectives; Israel’s air defenses have been unable to counter the assault; The US operation failed #Iran #IRGC #JCPOA pic.twitter.com/Lj5d2a2ilR
— MEMRI (@MEMRIRreports) April 14, 2024
In response to this assassination, Iran has promised to assault Israel immediately. Officers imagine Iran and its largest terrorist proxy group, Hezbollah, which is predicated north of Israel in Lebanon, have been behind the assault. The assault may additionally embody different Iran-backed terrorist teams, together with Yemen’s Houthis and numerous teams in Iraq.
The US Division of Protection introduced on Friday that it’s deploying some further property to the Center East and close to the Center East to extend its power posture within the area amid an elevated menace setting posed by Iran.
Watch the trailer for ‘Am I Racist?’—a Matt Walsh comedy on DAY
The US is changing the USS Theodore Roosevelt provider strike group, which is deployed within the area, with the USS Abraham Lincoln provider strike group.
The Pentagon is sending “further ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the US European Command and US Central Command areas,” an announcement mentioned. “The division is taking steps to extend our readiness to deploy further land-based ballistic missile defenses.”
