Source Refutes NYT Story about Assassination of Haniyeh

Speaking to Tasnim on Saturday, the informed source said the story run by The New York Times on August 1, which claimed that Haniyeh has been assassinated by an explosive device covertly smuggled into his residence in Tehran, is “riddled with lies”, another episode of the “psychological operation” by the Zionists, and void of news values.

Pointing to the record of Ronen Bergman, one of the three authors of the report, the source said it reveals why the article does not merit attention.

“The Zionist regime has crossed a major red line and committed a barbaric and cowardly assassination, whose full details are being investigated,” the source noted, adding that Israel has at the same time mobilized its security elements in media outlets to propagate false details, confuse people and experts, and finish its terrorist act.

Vital information has been obtained about the martyrdom of Haniyeh, the source added, stating that a series of obvious details, such as the body of the martyr and the place of incident, have made it clear that the assassination has not been caused by the explosion of a bomb hidden in his residence.

The latest findings indicate that a projectile, carried by drone or another carrier, has penetrated into the building and caused the explosion, the source underlined, saying the assassination has involved “new terrorist technologies”, not human elements or a bomb being planted.

The source also vehemently denied a section of the NYT story that the members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council held a meeting with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei at 7 am on July 31, saying, “This is an old and threadbare media tactic to provide the readers with very detailed information such as time, location, etc. to induce the readers to believe that such remarkable set of details must reflect the familiarity of authors.”

The source explained that the release of details about Iran by American media outlets usually indicates their big lies. “The father of such type of information in the West was (Joseph) Goebbels, Hitler’s minister of propaganda. These authors of The New York Times have also imitated their spiritual father.”

Haniyeh was assassinated in a special residence in northern Tehran after being hit by an aerial projectile in the early hours of July 31.

The Hamas chief was in Tehran to attend the new Iranian president’s swearing-in ceremony.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has warned the Israeli regime of a “harsh response” for Haniyeh’s assassination, calling it the Islamic Republic’s duty to avenge the Palestinian resistance leader’s blood.