After Israel's killing of Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, Iran, a key ally of Hamas, has remained officially silent, with state-controlled media only gradually acknowledging the major event.
State-controlled outlets like Tasnim website, affiliated with the IRGC, delayed over 18 hours before cautiously acknowledging Sinwar's death. Other domestic media echoed initial reports with minimal updates, providing narratives to protect Sinwar's image as a "hero" within the establishment.
In line with this approach, one of the few—if not the only—high-ranking figures to show reaction early on Friday was former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief commander Mohsen Rezaei.
He took to X to attack the Israeli operation, stating, “Warriors of the resistance front, like the martyr Yahya Sinwar, are fighting the invading soldiers on the battlefield. We are prepared for battle, and victory is ours."
Israel said on Thursday that it had killed Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks that triggered the war, marking one of the most significant strikes against Hamas' leadership in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Sinwar, a key figure in Hamas since its early days, had been the primary architect of the deadly assault, which claimed the lives of over 1,100 Israelis, mostly civilians – the largest killing of Jews since the Holocaust.
Journalist and political analyst Ahmad Zeidabadi in Tehran took to his Telegram channel to say that it was not the right time for a comprehensive evaluation of Sinwar’s legacy.
In the cautiously drafted post, Zeidabadi hinted that the ultimate assessment of Sinwar’s legacy should be left to the Palestinian people in the future.
The killing of Sinwar follows a recent string of high-profile assassinations targeting leaders within the "Axis of Resistance," an Iran-led alliance of groups opposing Israel and Western influence, in the past few months.
Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, part of the “Axis”, said on Friday it was moving to a new and escalating phase in its war against Israel.
Hamas has yet to comment on the killing of its leader.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message Thursday, that Sinwar’s death marked “the beginning of the day after Hamas,” but “the task before us is not yet complete.”