Iran-allied militant leaders meet in Tehran

Leaders of the Iran-led “axis of resistance,” including Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem, convened in Tehran to discuss the ongoing war in Gaza, state media reported Thursday. This meeting took place on the sidelines of President Ebrahim Raisi’s funeral.

The “axis of resistance” consists of Iran’s regional allies against Israel, including Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and Iraqi Shiite armed groups.

These leaders met on Wednesday after attending the funeral ceremonies for Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran on Sunday.

The meeting included key figures like Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau based in Qatar; Hezbollah deputy Naim Qassem; and Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam. Haniyeh had previously met with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian officials present included General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and General Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, which handles foreign operations for the guards.

They discussed the latest developments in Gaza, including the Al-Aqsa Flood operation and the role of the resistance front, according to state broadcaster IRIB. The meeting emphasized the continuation of jihad and struggle until the complete victory of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, with participation from all resistance groups in the region.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar channel reported on the meeting, showing photos. Iran’s Fars news agency noted the presence of representatives from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and various Iraqi groups.

Since the Gaza war began in October, Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who also died in the helicopter crash, had increased his visits to the region, focusing on Lebanon and Syria.

Although Iran is a major supporter of Hamas, it has consistently denied any involvement in the Palestinian group’s October 7 attack on Israel.