Iran held a solemn funeral procession today for Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was killed earlier this week in a strike in the Iranian capital.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers at Tehran University, where mourners carried the coffin of Ismail Haniyeh, draped in Palestinian flags.
Khamenei has promised “harsh punishment” for Israel, which Hamas has accused of being behind the assassination.
Haniyeh, who had been living in exile in Qatar since 2016, will be buried there. The 62-year-old joined Hamas at the start of the first Intifada in 1987 and rose through its ranks. He served as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won the 2006 elections but was later ousted when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.
The funeral occurs amid rising regional tensions, as Israel also killed a top Hezbollah commander in a strike on Beirut just hours before Haniyeh’s death. These events have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Meta, Facebook’s parent company, for removing his social media posts honoring Haniyeh as a “freedom fighter.” Ibrahim issued a “stern warning” to Meta, accusing the platform of “cowardice” for censoring tributes to the Hamas leader. Haniyeh’s death represents a significant blow to Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and several other countries. The group has vowed to retaliate, potentially escalating the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
