Iran Mourns Assassinated Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Amid Regional Tensions

Iran Mourns Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Amid Rising Tensions

On Thursday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with representatives from various Palestinian militias, gathered to pay their respects over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Their assassination, attributed to Israel, has escalated fears of a broader regional conflict.

Khamenei led the prayers at Tehran University, with Iran’s newly inaugurated President, Masoud Pezeshkian, standing by his side. State television captured the somber moment as the coffins were placed onto a truck and paraded through the streets of Tehran. Bystanders showed their solidarity by throwing flowers onto the truck. Haniyeh had traveled to Tehran for Pezeshkian’s inauguration, but tragically, he was killed just hours later in an airstrike targeting a residence he frequented in the city.

Iranian officials have announced that an investigation into the attack is underway, though specific details have yet to be disclosed. This incident follows Israel’s public commitment to eliminate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders in retaliation for the group’s devastating attacks on southern Israel on October 7, which ignited the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Iran has consistently supported Hamas, Hezbollah, and various other militant groups opposing Israel’s actions in the region.

During the funeral ceremony, Iranians displayed their discontent by burning representations of the Israeli flag, a potent symbol of their anger towards the recent escalations.

In response to Haniyeh’s assassination, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the need for restraint among all parties in the Middle East. Speaking from the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, he urged nations to “make the right choices in the days ahead,” asserting that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is the essential first step to breaking the cycle of violence and alleviating human suffering. Notably, Blinken refrained from mentioning Israel, Iran, or Hamas directly in his remarks.

The already strained relations between Israel and Iran intensified earlier this year, particularly following an Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus in April, which led to a tit-for-tat exchange of military actions on each other’s territories.

In his inauguration speech, President Pezeshkian voiced unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, declaring, “Iran demands a world where no Palestinian child’s dreams are buried under the rubble of their home.” His words reflect the Iranian government’s continued commitment to the Palestinian struggle.

On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning, stating that Israel “will exact a heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.” This was his first public comment following Haniyeh’s death, although he did not specifically address the assassination.

In reaction to the escalating situation, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, released a statement on behalf of Antonio Guterres. It highlighted that strikes in South Beirut and Tehran “represent a dangerous escalation at a moment when all efforts should instead be leading to a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages, a significant increase in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, and a return to calm in Lebanon and across the Blue Line.” The statement condemned actions that undermine these crucial goals.

Meanwhile, in Italy, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani expressed grave concerns regarding the potential for a wider war in the Middle East, stating, “We absolutely do not want the Middle East to plunge into open war.”