Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran by what the terror group said was an airstrike carried out by Israel early Wednesday as Iran’s supreme leader has vowed revenge.

Haniyeh, who was one of Hamas’ most senior officials, was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president when he was killed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced.

The Revolutionary Guard did not comment on who killed Haniyeh or how, but Hamas pointed the finger at Israel, stating that its leader was killed “in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran’s new president.”

“Hamas declares to the great Palestinian people and the people of the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free people of the world, brother leader Ismail Haniyeh a martyr,” the brief statement read.

Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said Haniyeh was killed at his Tehran residence.

“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his body guards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon,” the Revolutionary Guard said.

So far, no one has come forward to claim responsibility for the killing, though Israel has vowed to eliminate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the terror group’s Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state in which 1,200 people were slaughtered and 250 were kidnapped.

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Who was Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader killed?

Ismail Haniyeh, one of the most senior Hamas officials, was killed by a bomb that was smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president.

Born in the then-Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip in 1963, Haniyeh had been a prominent member of Hamas since the 1980s and, in 1989, spent three years imprisoned by Israel during the first Palestinian uprising.

Upon his return to Gaza in 1997 after spending years in exile with other Hamas leaders, Haniyeh was appointed leader and president of the political bureau of Hamas, solidifying his influence and power within the organization.

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In 2006, President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Haniyeh as Palestinian prime minister after Hamas won the most seats in national elections. He was then elected head of Hamas’ political bureau in 2017 and was widely considered Hamas’ overall leader until his death.

Before the killing, Israel vowed to eliminate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the terror group’s Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state in which 1,200 people were killed.

An Israeli airstrike killed three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandchildren, who were traveling in a car through Gaza’s Shati refugee camp to visit family on the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid-al-Fitr in April 2024.

Haniyeh, who was head of the group’s political bureau, departed the Gaza Strip in 2019 and had since lived in Qatar.

The top Hamas leader in Gaza is Yehya Sinwar, who was the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack and is believed to be living in the terror group’s vast tunnel system.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House.

The deadly airstrike comes at a delicate time as the Biden administration works to orchestrate a deal between Hamas and Israel that would end the fighting — at least temporarily — and free remaining hostages in the Palestinian enclave.

CIA Director Bill Burns was in Rome on Sunday to meet with senior Israel, Qatari and Egyptian officials for the latest rounds of discussions, while separately, White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk is in the region for talks with US partners.

The Middle East has been rocked with violence since Hamas’ sneak assault last October, resulting in Israel launching a devastating military campaign in Gaza.

An Israeli airstrike killed three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandchildren in April.

Just a month before his death, Haniyeh’s sister — along with nine other members of their extended family — was killed when Israeli forces bombed their home in the Al-Shati refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

An analyst close to Hamas, Ibrahim Madhoun, said the killing was a “major blow” to the group, but would not conquer it, according to the New York Times. 

The death comes less than 24 hours after Israel killed the Hezbollah commander it said was behind a deadly strike in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said “we believe it is our duty to take revenge” in the wake of the killings.

“The assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh was a cowardly act and will not pass in vain,” said a member of Hamas’ political bureau, Musa Abu Marzouk, according to CNN.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Haniyeh’s killing a “cowardly act and dangerous development.”

Russia and Iran have both condemned the “unacceptable political assassination” of the Hamas leader.

“This is all very wrong,” said Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, according to CNN. “This is an absolutely unacceptable political assassination, and it will lead to further escalation of tension.”

While Israel has not issued a statement on the killing, the nation’s military said around 8 a.m. there are “no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines,” according to the Times.

The military is “conducting a situational assessment” and will update the public if there are changes.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he doesn’t think that “war is inevitable.”

“I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunities for diplomacy,” Austin told reporters in the Philippines on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we keep things from turning into a broader conflict throughout the region.”

With Post wires