Tehran- During Ismail Haniya’s last hours in Iran, a close ally of Hamas, he was smiling and clapping at the inauguration ceremony of the new President Masoud Pezeshkian. Photos showed him seated alongside leaders from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Lebanese Hezbollah and Ansarallah of Yemen. Iranian media showed him and President Pezeshkian warmly greeting each other. Haniyeh was also shown embracing Ayatollah Khamenei by TV channels.
Later Haniyeh visited a theme park exhibition featuring ‘Axis of Resistance’ landmarks just hours before his assassination. He was seen alongside Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhaleh.
The ‘Axis of Resistance’ is an Iran-led coalition of groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis and allied forces in Syria and Iraq. This coalition aims to counter Western influence, particularly from the US and Israel, in the region. The alliance seeks to counteract what it dubs as aggression and interference by these powers, advocating for a Middle East free from external control. Iran plays a central role in providing significant military aid, training, and funding to other members.
The Iranian media has released a video of Haniyeh’s visit, hours before his death. He was seen talking to reporters.
Hamas has blamed Israel for the attack. “This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
How Haniya Was Assassinated
Haniyeh was hit directly by a rocket in the room in which he was staying, Hamas deputy head Khalil Al-Hayya said at a news conference in Tehran. He said Israel would “pay the price” for the “heinous crime.”
Earlier, Iranian state media IRNA reported that an “airborne guided projectile” had targeted the building at around 2 a.m. local time.
IRNA said Haniyeh’s bodyguard was also killed, and that further investigations are underway to determine the details of the operation and the position from where the projectile was fired.
Shortly afterward, Hamas decried what it called a “Zionist strike” and a “grave escalation” in its decades long conflict with Israel.
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