Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led funeral prayers at a memorial to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Tehran University in the Iranian capital, state Press TV reported.
After the prayers, the procession will move to Azadi (Freedom) Square and Haniyeh’s body will be flown to Doha for burial. In Doha, funeral prayers will be held at Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab Mosque after Friday prayers.
Important Iranian government officials attended the funeral prayers. Iranian Parliament Speaker Muhammad Baqir Ghalib said Haniyeh is the voice of the Palestinian people worldwide.
Haniyeh was assassinated at his residence in Tehran on Wednesday, with Hamas blaming Israel for the attack. Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, spoke at the funeral.
Foad Izadi, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, emphasized the significance of the assassination, which took place in Tehran, and suggested that it could provoke a strong reaction from Iran.
Izadi noted that Iran holds Haniyeh in high esteem, as it does the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi.
Meanwhile, John Kirby, the US national security adviser, said Washington remains undaunted by rising tensions in the Middle East after Haniyeh’s assassination. Despite the volatile situation, Kirby emphasized that the US is continuing its efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
Kirby highlighted the uncertainty about the impact of the incident in Tehran on the wider Middle East and ongoing peace efforts.
He noted that US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation, but refrained from attributing responsibility for Haniyeh’s murder to any party.
In addition, Kirby revealed that no one has yet been questioned in connection with the attack. In light of heightened tensions, the White House National Security Council reaffirmed its commitment to reducing hostilities in the region.
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent Hamas leader, added another layer of complexity to the already tense geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. As nations and factions undergo fallout, the US remains focused on its diplomatic mission to ensure peace and stability in the region.
In a statement on the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Republican Senator Markoin Mullin said that just as the US defended itself by pursuing Osama bin Laden in Pakistan after 9/11, Israel had the right to defend itself after October 7, 2023.
“Israeli opponents are everywhere. They should have the right to persecute them.”
