Iran allies react: Hezbollah vows confrontation, Hamas mourns Khamenei

FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prays during a meeting with a group of girls in Tehran

FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with a group of girls who reached the age of puberty in Tehran, Iran February 3, 2023. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Source: REUTERS

Hezbollah and Hamas issued defiant statements on Sunday after Iran confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following joint US-Israeli strikes, a development that has sharply raised fears of wider regional escalation.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the Lebanese group would confront what he called the “aggression” by Washington and Israel. “We will undertake our duty of confronting the aggression,” Qassem said, adding that Hezbollah would not leave “the field of honour and resistance.”

In Gaza, Hamas announced it was mourning Khamenei, calling him a key backer of the Palestinian militant group. “We in Hamas mourn the passing of Ali Khamenei,” it said, adding that he provided “political, diplomatic and military support” to its cause.

Hamas also condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as a “heinous” act with serious consequences for the region.

Khamenei’s death has deepened uncertainty over Iran’s next steps and leadership succession, as countries and international bodies urged restraint amid ongoing military exchanges across the Middle East.

This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.

Portia Etornam Kornu [email protected]