Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Killed in Airstrike in Iran, 24 Hours After Sharing Stage with Nitin Gadkari

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a predawn airstrike in Tehran on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after sharing the stage with Union minister Nitin Gadkari and other international leaders at the inauguration of Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The inauguration ceremony on Tuesday was attended by senior officials from various countries, including Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Brazil. European Union envoy Enrique Mora was also present.

Regional Iran-backed allies such as Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah, Lebanon’s Hezbollah deputy secretary general Naim Qassem, and Yemen’s Huthi rebels spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam were also in attendance.

Iran’s supreme leader has vowed revenge against Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh, which risks escalating the ongoing conflict. Israel, which had previously pledged to target Hamas leaders following the group’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, has not commented on the airstrike.

The airstrike on Haniyeh followed an Israeli strike on a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Lebanon, earlier in the day.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari attended the inauguration ceremony, reflecting close ties between India and Iran. Gadkari conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s good wishes to President Pezeshkian and highlighted the ongoing cooperation between the two countries, including the development of Chabahar Port.