DUBAI – Thousands of Iranians gathered on Thursday to mourn Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran, an attack that has increased concerns about a direct conflict between Iran and Israel.
State TV broadcast live images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leading prayers at Haniyeh’s funeral at Tehran University. Mourners dressed in black chanted slogans like “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Haniyeh’s body will be flown to Qatar for burial on Friday.
“Rest in peace, Abu Al-Abed Ismail Haniyeh. Our nation, Iran, the Axis of Resistance, your people, your fighters… are united in the choice of resistance to end the Zionist occupation,” said Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, in a televised speech at the university.
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the strike that killed Haniyeh, hours after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for the attack, which has drawn threats of revenge against Israel and heightened concerns about the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza escalating into a broader regional war.
Hamas’s armed wing issued a statement saying Haniyeh’s killing would “take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions.” Iran declared three days of national mourning and said the U.S. bore responsibility because of its support for Israel.
“All fronts of the resistance will take revenge for Haniyeh’s blood,” said Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to the semi-official Mehr news agency.
The Axis of Resistance, which includes Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shiite armed groups in Iraq and Syria, is facing a heightened risk of conflict with Israel and its allies after the assassination of Haniyeh and the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
On April 13, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s suspected deadly strike on its embassy compound in Damascus, though most were intercepted. “We want revenge because Israel killed Haniyeh, who was our guest,” an Iranian woman at a rally after the ceremony told state TV.