TEHRAN – An informed source has dismissed a report by The New York Times, which alleges that Hamas Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed by an explosive device smuggled into his residence in northern Tehran. 

Speaking to Tasnim on Saturday, the source labeled the August 1 article as "riddled with lies" and a blatant example of a "psychological operation" by the Zionists.

The NYT report claims Haniyeh was assassinated by an “explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying”. It does not provide any evidence for the claims, only stating that it has obtained the information from “seven Middle Eastern officials.”

"The Zionist regime has crossed a major red line and committed a barbaric and cowardly assassination. They have simultaneously mobilized their security elements in media outlets to propagate false details, confuse people and experts, and complete their terrorist act,” the source told Tasnim, adding that the assassination involved “new terrorist technologies” and happened when a projectile was launched into the building where Haniyeh was residing. 

The Hamas chief was in Tehran to attend the new Iranian president's swearing-in ceremony. He was assassinated in the early hours of Wednesday. 

The source also strongly refuted a section of the NYT article claiming a meeting was held between members of Iran's National Security Council and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei hours after Haniyeh’s martyrdom. 

"This is an old and threadbare media tactic to induce readers to believe that remarkable sets of detailed information, such as time and location, reflect the authors' familiarity," the source said. "The release of such details about Iran by American media outlets usually signals their big lies. The father of this 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."