Three years after Ali Younisi, the former Minister of Intelligence, warned that the officials of the Islamic Republic should fear for their lives, the biggest security scandal has occurred: Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political office, has been assassinated in Tehran.
The assassination is as significant a security breach as the assassinations of figures like Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and even Qassem Soleimani.
Unlike Soleimani, who was killed outside Iran, Haniyeh was assassinated within Iran.
Moreover, the political implications of Haniyeh's assassination are far-reaching, given that he was a foreign official in the "Axis of Resistance," and his killing in Iran as a guest is even more scandalous than the assassination of an official of the Islamic Republic.
The authorities of the Islamic Republic likely did not anticipate that Israel would take such an action.
As a result, they provided him with the standard security afforded to other foreign guests, housing him in the usual residences.
The assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran will be a significant scandal for the Islamic Republic in the Arab world.
The Iranian authorities have always portrayed themselves as the sole supporters of Palestinian forces in the Arab world.
However, opponents of the Islamic Republic in Arab countries will likely claim that Iran itself revealed Haniyeh's whereabouts and somehow betrayed him.
One of the areas of influence within the Islamic Republic is the Ansar Protection Corps and the Vali Amr Protection Corps, responsible for protecting Ali Khamenei and other officials.
In recent years, several members of these corps and bodyguards of officials have defected to Western countries, leaking substantial amounts of information.
Following the dismissal of Ebrahim Jabari, the commander of the Vali Amr Protection Corps in 2021, Younisi's warning about the assassination of Islamic Republic officials resurfaced, with this dismissal interpreted as a sign of fear for Ali Khamenei's safety.
Ali Younisi described the Israeli intelligence organization's influence in Iran as so pervasive that all officials of the Islamic Republic should be concerned for their lives.
In the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the Ansar Protection Corps was also accused of failing in its duties.
In 2019, rumors circulated online that Ali Nasiri, the former commander of the Ansar al-Mahdi Corps, had fled the country and sought refuge elsewhere, but these claims were later denied.
In 2011, Ismail Haniyeh, then Prime Minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, visited Iran amidst public internal competition with Khaled Meshal, the head of Hamas's political office.
During this visit, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, warned Hamas against compromising in its struggle with Israel and emphasized the need for vigilance against the infiltration of compromising elements into the resistance.
Hamas's support for the Syrian opposition and Khaled Meshal's visit to Saudi Arabia strained its relations with Iran for several years.
However, in 2017, a series of letters were exchanged, and Khamenei declared Iran's commitment to supporting Hamas unconditionally.
In 2019, after years of strained relations, a delegation of Hamas leaders, headed by Saleh al-Arouri, Haniyeh's deputy, visited Tehran.
After this visit, reports indicated that Iran's aid to Hamas increased from $100 million to $360 million annually.
Public exchanges between Khamenei and Hamas often had a propaganda element.
In 2007, following the 20-day conflict, Khamenei sent a supportive message to Haniyeh.
In 2017, he warned against negotiating with Israel, describing it as an "unforgivable mistake."
A year later, Haniyeh wrote to Khamenei, expressing gratitude for Iran's readiness to equip Hamas.
In 2020, Haniyeh called for immediate mobilization against Israeli actions in Gaza and Al-Aqsa Mosque in a letter to Khamenei.
Haniyeh's recent trips to Tehran have been criticized as security negligence, with his assassination marking a significant breach.
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