Iran held a solemn funeral procession today for Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, who was killed in a strike in the Iranian capital earlier this week.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the prayers at Tehran University, where Haniyeh’s coffin was carried by mourners waving Palestinian flags.
Khamenei has vowed “harsh punishment” for Israel, which Hamas has blamed for the assassination.
Haniyeh will be buried in Qatar, where he had been living in exile since 2016. The 62-year-old rose through the ranks of Hamas after joining the group at the start of the first Intifada uprising against Israel in 1987.
He served as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won the 2006 elections, but was ousted when the group seized control of the Gaza Strip.
The funeral comes amid heightened tensions in the region, as Israel also killed a top Hezbollah commander in a strike in Beirut just hours before Haniyeh’s death. The developments have prompted concerns of a wider regional conflict erupting.
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” in censoring tributes to the Hamas leader.
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Haniyeh’s death is a significant blow to Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and several other countries.
The group has vowed to avenge his killing, setting the stage for a potential escalation of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
