“The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house, causing us grief,” Khamenei stated on Wednesday. He further warned, “It has also set the stage for a harsh punishment for itself.” Khamenei emphasized Iran’s obligation to avenge Haniyeh’s assassination, who was in Tehran for President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration.
“We see it as our duty to avenge his blood in this sorrowful and challenging incident that occurred on the soil of the Islamic Republic,” Khamenei said, expressing condolences to Haniyeh’s family and the Palestinian group.
Iran has declared three days of public mourning for Haniyeh.
A funeral ceremony will be held in Iran on Thursday, after which Haniyeh’s body will be transported to Doha, Qatar, for burial in the Qatari capital on Friday, according to a statement from Hamas on its Telegram channel.
Israel has not yet commented on the attack but had previously vowed to target Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the October 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in 1,197 deaths and ignited the current conflict in Gaza. Israeli media reported that ministers and officials were instructed not to comment on Haniyeh’s killing.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reports that more than 39,400 people have been killed in Israel’s intensive bombardment of the enclave since then.
