By Jerald Jimenez
Mar 28, 2024, 3:38 PM EDT
The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniye, was received with honors in Tehran, Iran, on a scheduled visit with senior Iranian officials on Tuesday, in order to reaffirm the alliance between the Islamic country and the extremist group that is fighting a battle against Israel in Loop.
Haniye was received by Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian in a ceremony that included a red carpet and the flags of Iran and Palestine flying together. This gesture is commonly reserved for official visits.
Likewise, Haniye met with the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, the country’s highest authority. These meetings have focused on reaffirming Iran’s support for Hamas and the Palestinian cause, EFE reported.
Iran, one of Hamas’ main allies, leads the so-called “Axis of Resistance” against Israel, which was also formed by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels of Yemen, among others.
Haniye’s visit to Iran comes at a time of rising tension in the region, and after the United Nations Security Council passed for the first time a resolution to order a ceasefire in the war in the Gaza Strip , where more than 32,500 people have died.
During his visit, Haniye stressed that Israel is losing political and international support, and at the same time is not achieving its military objectives in Gaza.
“Despite all the huge expenditures, the Zionist regime (Israel) has not achieved its military objectives and today is losing political and international support,” Haniye declared at a press conference with Abdolahian.
For their part, the leaders praised Hamas’ actions, especially the October 7 attack, and its resistance to the “false and criminal Zionist regime (Israel).”
“Al Aqsa Storm was a unique event whose failures are irreparable for the Zionist regime,” Raisi said Wednesday regarding the Hamas attack.
With information from EFE