Ismail Haniyeh was a key member of Hamas from its inception.

Hamas has said its leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed while staying in Tehran. Haniyeh was killed in an air strike at about 2:00 local time, reports say.

The group blames Israel for the attack – Israel has yet to respond but has previously vowed to eliminate Hamas’s leaders.

Haniyeh’s death comes hours after Israel says it killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The attacks on two senior Iran-backed militant leaders in the space of 24 hours have raised fears of further regional conflict.

It also throws ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel into doubt – as Haniyeh was a critical figure in negotiations.

Haniyeh – who was from Gaza but had lived in Qatar for several years – was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s president.