Iran denies arrests in Hamas leader assassination probe, vows response
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Iranian judiciary announced that no arrests have been made in the investigation into the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political bureau, in Tehran last week, an attack attributed to Israel
Contrary to a New York Times report on Saturday claiming that Iran had detained more than 20 individuals, including senior intelligence officers, judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir stated, "The necessary investigations have begun, and the results will be announced upon completion…no arrests have been made in this case so far," noting that the investigation includes Iranian military officials.
Jahangir, in a press conference, dismissed the report as "rumors" and "fake news," asserting that "a courageous response from Tehran will follow the assassination of Haniyeh."
Ismail Haniyeh was killed on July 31 by a short-range projectile launched at his residence in northern Tehran, according to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and vowed to retaliate. Israel has not commented on the incident.
The assassination has heightened already intense tensions in the Middle East, exacerbated by Israel's ongoing conflict with Gaza. Hours before Haniyeh's death, Lebanese Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut.
Hezbollah has promised retaliation for the strike that killed Shukr and five civilians in a densely populated neighborhood.
The international community is racing to prevent a military escalation between Tehran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah, and Israel, a US ally.
On Monday evening, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Israel "will face a response to its crimes and arrogance" but stressed that Tehran "in no way seeks to expand the scope of war and crisis in the region."
