Iran says Haniyeh assassinated by ‘short-range projectile,’ accuses Israel, US of Wednesday's attack

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – The assassination of Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh was "designed and executed" by Israel with US support, using a short-range projectile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday.

The IRGC called the assassination a “terrorist crime” and vowed “severe punishment," in a statement.

Haniyeh was assassinated early Wednesday at his residence in the capital Tehran in a mysterious attack that Iranian officials blamed on their arch-foe Israel.

Haniyeh's personal bodyguard was also killed in the attack.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's inauguration.

Though Israel has remained silent about Haniyeh's death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at Tel Aviv's involvement in his assassination.

The IRGC said investigations found that the “terrorist operation” involved firing a short-range projectile with a warhead weighing some 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) and accompanied by large explosives from outside the place where Haniyeh was staying.

In light of this information, Anadolu has compiled a list of weapons that weigh around 7 kg and could have been used for a specific purpose.

The Russian-made RPG-7 weighs approximately 6.3 kg and has a range of 330 to 700 meters, whereas the US-made M72 LAW weighs almost 2.5 kg and has a range of 200 meters.

The AT4, manufactured in Sweden, weighs between 6.7 kg and 8 kg, depending on model. It has an effective range of 300 meters but can be used for distances up to 2,100 meters.

The German-made Panzerfaust 3 weighs 15.2 kg when ready to fire. It has an effective range of 400 meters when used from a stationary position and 300 meters when used from a moving position.

Another US-made weapon, the FGM-148 Javelin, weighs 23.2 kg when ready to fire. It has a detachable command lunch unit (CLU). Its effective range is up to 2,500 meters.

The Eryx, made in France, weighs 13.5 kg and has an effective range of 600 meters.

Another French-made weapon, APILAS weighs 9 kg and has an effective range between 350 meters and 500 meters.

In addition, Israeli-made B300 has weight of 3.65 kilograms when it is empty. The loaded B300 weighs 8 kilograms and has a 400-meter effective range.

Tensions are running high amid speculation that Iran is preparing a military response to Haniyeh's assassination that is bigger in scope than the operation that followed an attack on the Iranian Consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus in April.