Tehran, Iran - August 01, 2024

A mourning ceremony and funeral procession was held in Tehran on Thursday for top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Iran on Wednesday.

Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed early Wednesday when their residence was hit in Tehran, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on the same day.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei presided over the mourning ceremony in Tehran, and martial law was imposed on nearby streets, with only pedestrians allowed.

Residents held up portraits of Haniyeh and the Iranian and Palestinian flags on streets to express their condolences for the late Hamas leader and their support for the Palestinian people, and called on the Iranian government to severely punish the murderer and take retaliatory actions against Israel.

Many residents said that Israel has carried out many similar assassinations in Iran over the years, and this assassination of the top Hamas official in Iran is to divert the pressure Israel faces from the resistance front.

The resistance front is a term often used to refer to an unwritten regional coalition comprising mainly Shiite countries and groups in West Asia, which seek to fight Israel and end its occupation of the Palestinian territories and free the region from the West's domination.

Many also believed that the United States, as a supporter and ally of Israel, has continued to provide full support to Israel in various fields since the current round of conflict broke out, and the United States has always been the main factor causing unrest in the Middle East.

Haniyeh's body will be transferred to Qatari capital Doha ahead of his burial on Friday.

Shotlist:
Tehran, Iran - Aug 1, 2024:
1. Various of people walking, mourning death of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh, holding portraits of Haniyeh, flag of Palestine;
2. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Morad, resident (full name not given):
"I think Iran should defend its rights against this injustice and respond to this crime so that Israel will not do this again in Iran.";
3. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Mohammad, resident (full name not given):
"Israel has done many similar assassination operations and now they are trying to make up for their failure in Gaza, but Israel will not achieve anything they want to achieve.";
4. People mourning;
5. SOUNDBITE (Farsi) Abu Gasim, resident (partially overlaid with shot 6):
"If the United States could provide security for the region, there wouldn't be so many deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. The United States will cause destruction wherever it goes. The United States, a country that claims to fight terrorism, is itself a major supporter of terrorists, their words are false."
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE];
6. Pole banners with portraits of Haniyeh
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE];
7. People walking, mourning.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV]