Gallant Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Details of the Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr in a Single Night
Yoav Gallant describes a covert operation that led to the assassinations of Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah’s Fuad Shukr, executed within hours of each other.
Watan-Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed details of what he described as the “operation of a lifetime,” a dual assassination mission that led to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran, and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, all in a single day.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Gallant stated that the decision to eliminate Shukr was made after Hezbollah rockets killed children in Majdal Shams. He added, “I told the Chief of Staff that Shukr must be eliminated… At the same time, there was an open window for assassinating Haniyeh on the night of July 30-31.”
The former minister disclosed that he personally moved to the Mossad headquarters to participate in the final briefing for the operatives working in Tehran, saying, “During the briefing, I received a call via the military secretary about a golden opportunity to eliminate Shukr.”
Gallant confirmed that Haniyeh was assassinated using a bomb but refused to disclose its exact location, stating, “There are details you will need to read in my book.”
He emphasized that the dual operation was carried out without prior notification to the United States. He recalled receiving a call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who asked, “What’s going on here?” Gallant replied, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime operation. Would you have passed up such an opportunity? This is Hamas’ own Osama bin Laden.”
The former minister confirmed that all senior Israeli security officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed on the decision despite the “questions and discussions” surrounding the execution of both assassinations within a few hours of each other.
