Union minister Nitin Gadkari has revealed that he encountered Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran only hours before Haniyeh was assassinated in a high-security Iranian military facility—an incident that later highlighted serious security shortcomings and sent shockwaves across the region.
Gadkari shared the account while speaking at a book launch, recalling his visit to Iran in July 2024 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He said he had travelled to Tehran at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to represent India at the event.
According to Gadkari, several world leaders and dignitaries were staying at a five-star hotel in Tehran ahead of the inauguration. He noted that Haniyeh was present despite not being the head of any state.
“All the heads of various nations were present, but one person who wasn't a head of state was Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. I met him. I saw him heading to the swearing-in ceremony along with the President and the Chief Justice,” Gadkari said.
He said the situation took a dramatic turn in the early hours following the ceremony. After returning to his hotel, Gadkari said that around 4 am, the Iranian ambassador to India approached him and informed him that he had to leave immediately.
“When I asked what had happened, I was told that the Hamas chief had been assassinated. I was shocked. I asked how it happened, and the answer was, 'I don't know yet',” he said.
Iran later announced that Haniyeh was killed at around 1.15 am on July 31, 2024, while staying at a heavily guarded military facility in Tehran under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His bodyguard was also killed in the attack.
Gadkari said that even after the incident, there was uncertainty over how the assassination was carried out. “Some people say he was killed because of using his mobile phone. Some say it happened in some other way,” he told the audience.
During the same address, the Union minister also reflected on global geopolitics, stating that a nation’s strength plays a decisive role in its security. Referring to Israel, he said that if a country is strong, “no country can lay a hand on it,” pointing to Israel’s technological and military capabilities despite its small geographical size.
The IRGC has officially stated that the building where Haniyeh was staying was hit by a short-range missile.
However, a separate investigation reported by The Telegraph presented a different version of events. The report claimed that Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad had recruited Iranian security personnel to assassinate Haniyeh by planting explosives inside the facility.
According to the report, an earlier plan to target Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran in May—when he attended the funeral of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi—was abandoned due to heavy crowds and the risk of exposure.
The final operation reportedly focused on an IRGC guesthouse in northern Tehran where Haniyeh was expected to stay. Citing two Iranian officials, the report said Mossad-linked operatives planted explosive devices in three separate rooms in the complex.
Iranian authorities, according to the report, reviewed surveillance footage showing the operatives entering and leaving the rooms within minutes. The agents allegedly exited Iran without detection, while maintaining at least one local contact within the country.
At around 2 am, the explosives planted in the room occupied by Haniyeh were remotely detonated.
Senior IRGC officials have since acknowledged serious lapses in security. One senior official told The Telegraph that Mossad may have exploited personnel from the Ansar-al-Mahdi protection unit, which is responsible for guarding senior leaders and allied figures inside and outside Iran.