Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group has condemned Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, warning his death will only increase the resolve of Iran-backed "resistance" groups in the region.
On Wednesday, Hamas said Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital, Tehran where he was attending the swearing-in of the country's new president.
Militant groups have vowed the act "will not go unanswered".
In a statement, Hezbollah said: "The martyrdom of leader Haniyeh ... will increase the determination and stubbornness of the mujahideen resistance fighters on all resistance fronts... and will make their resolve stronger in confronting the Zionist enemy".
The group described Haniyeh as "one of the great resistance leaders of our time who stood bravely against the American hegemony project and the Zionist occupation."
Hezbollah has been trading near-daily cross-border fire with Israel since its ally Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, triggering war in Gaza.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has met Hamas leaders several times to discuss the war and US-backed negotiations for a truce.
Fears of 'direct retaliation'
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also condemned the killing, posting on X that his country will defend its territorial integrity and make those responsible regret their actions.
There has been no immediate comment from Israel, which had vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the October attack on southern Israel.
The strike came just after Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran, Iran said.
The dramatic predawn killing of Hamas's top political leader threatens to reverberate on multiple fronts.
The blow of striking Haniyeh in Tehran could trigger direct retaliation against Israel by Iran.
The two bitter regional rivals had an unprecedented exchange of strikes on each other's soil in April after Israel hit Iran's embassy in Damascus, but international efforts succeeded in containing that cycle of retaliation before it spun out of control.
