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full screen Protests in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday after news of Haniya’s death spread. Photo: Vahid Salemi/AP/TT
Iran will hold a funeral procession on Thursday for Ismail Haniya, the top political leader of terror-labeled Hamas who was killed in Tehran early Wednesday morning. Haniya will then be buried in Doha, Qatar, where he has lived in exile since leaving Gaza several years ago.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – who previously threatened a “severe punishment” for the death – will lead the prayers for Haniya.
According to Iranian reports, Haniya was killed in an airstrike. A robot fired from another country reportedly reached his Tehran residence at 2 am local time.
The attack has further aggravated the already tense situation in the Middle East and observers see a risk of the conflict escalating. Hamas has stated that Haniya died “in an attack by Zionists” and vowed retaliation. Israel has not commented on the attack.