TEHRAN – Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, announced on Saturday that there was no involvement from foreign intelligence operatives in the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader, in Tehran.

Khatib stressed that reports from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) confirm that no external agents were involved in the attack that led to Haniyeh's death. 

Haniyeh, along with one of his bodyguards, was killed when their residence was struck on July 31, according to an official statement from the IRGC.

The IRGC has attributed the assassination to the Zionist regime, accusing Israel of orchestrating the attack with the support of the U.S. government. 

In response, high-ranking Iranian officials have vowed to avenge Haniyeh's death, asserting Iran's right to retaliate against this violation of its sovereignty by Israel.