The Hamas leader resides in Qatar, which hosts the terrorist group’s senior members.
In November, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Haniyeh had met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
“Ayatollah Khamenei praised the steadfastness and resilience of the people of Gaza and expressed strong regret over the crimes of the Zionist regime, supported directly by Washington and some Western countries,” the report read.
The Iranian supreme leader also “emphasised Tehran’s consistent policy of supporting the Palestinian resistance forces against the Zionist occupiers.”
Israel has underscored Iranian support for Hamas since the terrorist organization’s October 7 invasion. The Palestinian Islamist group is still holding 134 hostages in Gaza.
As many as 500 men affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad trained in the Islamic Republic leading up to October 7, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah has been carrying out near-daily attacks against Israel from Lebanon in support of Hamas since October 7.