Hamas said Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in Iran, where he was attending the inauguration of the country's new president.

"Targeting him is a heinous terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of laws and ideal values," Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, a member of the Huthis' political bureau, posted on X.

The Yemeni rebels have been launching drones and missiles at shipping in the Red Sea since November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.

Earlier this month, a deadly Huthi drone strike on Tel Aviv prompted Israeli air strikes on Hodeida, impoverished Yemen's lifeline port, that killed nine people and triggered a massive inferno.