Hamas announced today that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, and one of his bodyguards were killed in a targeted attack on his residence in Tehran. The Palestinian group labeled the incident a "treacherous Zionist raid," occurring Tuesday morning as Haniyeh was in the Iranian capital to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

"Brother, leader, mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, died in a Zionist strike on his headquarters in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of the new (Iranian) president," read the Hamas statement.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed Haniyeh's death, noting that his residence in Tehran was "hit," resulting in the deaths of Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the killing, calling it a "grave escalation" by Israel aimed at breaking Hamas's will.

Israeli Minister Amichay Eliyahu reacted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, stating, "this is the right way to clean the world from this filth."

Israel had previously vowed to eliminate Haniyeh and dismantle Hamas following the October 7 attack that killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians. In retaliation, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 39,400 deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Haniyeh, who was elected head of the Hamas political bureau in 2017, lived in exile, dividing his time between Turkey and Qatar. Known for his pragmatic approach, he maintained relations with various Palestinian factions, including those rival to Hamas. He had joined Hamas in 1987 during the first Palestinian intifada against Israeli occupation.

Hamas, a member of the Iran-backed "axis of resistance," has received consistent support from Iran, aligning with the country's longstanding pro-Palestinian stance since the 1979 Islamic revolution.