In the early hours of Wednesday, July 31, 2024, the indefatigable mujahid Sheikh Ismail Haniyah, head of the political bureau of Hamas and the long-time friend of Quds martyr General Hajj Qassem Soleimani, and one of the proud and brave leaders of the Palestinian resistance, was hit and martyred in a terrorist attack by the Zionist regime while he was in Iran as a guest of the Iranian government and people to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the country’s elected president.
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, as one of the elected leaders of the Palestinian people and one of the leaders of their legitimate struggle for their right to self-determination, is yet another proof of the terrorist nature of the Zionist regime and a sign of the aggressive and law-breaking nature of this criminal mafia ruling the occupied Palestinian land.
This terrorist act is not only a flagrant violation of the principles and rules of international law and the UN Charter, but it also poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.
The criminal Israeli regime’s act is the latest in a series of assassination attempts against the Palestinian resistance leaders in other countries over the past few decades, but the new aggressive and terrorist act, that is, the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh is part of the regime’s genocidal war on the Palestinians, especially in the last 10 months and it’s aimed at spreading insecurity across the West Asia region.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry underlines the responsibility of the US government for this heinous act of terrorism as Washington is a supporter and accomplice of the Zionist regime in Tel Aviv’s continuation of the occupation of Palestine and its genocidal war on Palestinians.
The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the flagrant move of the Zionist regime to assassinate tireless mujahid Sheikh Ismail Haniyah. Iran also underscores its inalienable right to respond appropriately to this brazen act against its sovereignty and territorial integrity and it expects other countries and international organizations to seriously and effectively pressure the Israeli regime and take the necessary political, legal and punitive measures against the rogue entity in order to support the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and their legitimate resistance against occupation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran offers condolences and felicitations over Ismail Haniyah’s martyrdom to Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei, the Muslim Ummah and the zealous Palestinian people as well as the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, the family of that beloved martyr, the Palestinian resistance groups, all parts of the axis of resistance, all governments and nations that support the cause of Palestine and the freedom lovers of the world.