Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh will begin his second term as the head of the terrorist organization's political bureau by visiting Tehran this week, Beirut-based media outlet Al-Mayadeen, which is affiliated to Hezbollah, reported on Tuesday.
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According to the report, Haniyeh was expected to arrive in the Iranian capital amid the backdrop of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's impending inauguration. The visit, the report added, is also a message to the new Iranian president that Haniyeh's Gaza-based terrorist group understands the importance of maintaining relations with the Islamic republic.
Haniyeh was elected to a second four-year term last weekend. Saleh al-Arouri will continue to be his deputy.
As a reminder, Haniyeh previously visited the Islamic republic following the assassination of former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, a move that sparked the ire of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Haniyeh recently visited Cairo amid the backdrop of Egyptian-mediated ceasefire talks with Israel, and has also visited Morocco and Mauritania.
According to Yoni Ben Menachem, a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Haniyeh's election to a second term essentially completes Iran's takeover of Hamas. Loyalists to the ayatollah regime occupy the most key positions in the terrorist organization, including Haniyeh, al-Arouri, who was also elected as Hamas' leader in the West Bank, and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in the Gaza Strip.
"The Muslim Brotherhood movement," said Ben Menachem, "has been pushed to the side and only has two representatives within Hamas' leadership: Khaled Mashaal as Hamas leader abroad and his deputy, Musa Abu Marzouk."
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