Israeli intelligence services had the opportunity to kill Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Political Bureau of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, in Qatar, but they decided to assassinate him specifically during the politician's visit to Iran, the Jerusalem Post newspaper wrote citing sources in the security establishment, Paralel.Az reports.

"If they had wanted to, they could have eliminated Haniyeh in Qatar but chose to do so in Tehran for two reasons: first, to take out the chief of Hamas, but mainly to place Iran at the center of the dilemma of the future and to what intensity will it raise the height of the flames in the Middle East and how will it respond," the newspaper noted.