Iran has launched a large-scale investigation into the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and has already arrested dozens of people in search of suspects, The New York Times reports, UNN writes.
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"Iran has arrested more than two dozen people, including senior intelligence officers, military officials and staff at a military guest house in Tehran, in response to a huge and humiliating security breach that allowed the assassination of a Hamas leader," the newspaper writes, citing two Iranians familiar with the investigation.
The arrests of the high-ranking officials reportedly followed the murder in a Wednesday morning bombing of Ismail Haniyeh, who headed Hamas's political office in Qatar and was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of Iran's new president, staying at a guest house in northern Tehran, the capital of Iran.
"The harsh reaction to Khaniya's assassination underscores how devastating a security failure this was for Iran's leadership, as the killing took place in a heavily guarded compound in the country's capital just hours after the swearing-in ceremony of the country's new president," the newspaper notes.
"The perception that Iran cannot defend either its homeland or its key allies could prove fatal for the Iranian regime, as it essentially sends a signal to its enemies that if they cannot overthrow the Islamic Republic, they can decapitate it," said Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group .