GAZA — Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, arrived in Iran on Friday for a visit that suggested that relations between Hamas and Iran remained good despite reports of tensions over Syria.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group, appeared to be trying to keep the visit low-key. Hamas officials in the Palestinian enclave either avoided calls from reporters or refused to comment on the trip, while Hamas television provided no immediate coverage. Mr. Haniya’s office sent a short text message to journalists saying only that he had arrived in Tehran on a private plane from Kuwait.
But the Iranian news media reported on the warm official welcoming ceremony, during which Mr. Haniya reviewed an honor guard.
Regional news reports have said Hamas has resisted pressure from Iran, its principal backer, to express support for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, in his efforts to suppress the uprising there. The Hamas leadership outside Gaza recently left its base in Damascus because of the turmoil.
But analysts said the Iranian welcome for Mr. Haniya indicated that relations between Hamas and Iran remained positive.
Mr. Haniya went to Tehran after visiting Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, his second regional tour since late December. He has been seeking support to help rebuild Gaza, which suffered extensive damage during a three-week Israeli offensive three years ago, aimed at stopping rocket fire from Gaza.
Mr. Haniya has also been trying to capitalize on the new atmosphere in the Middle East after a wave of uprisings and the subsequent rise of Islamist parties in the region, in order to break the political isolation of his government in Gaza.
Persian Gulf leaders advised Mr. Haniya not to go to Iran, but Mustafa Sawaf, an analyst close to Hamas in Gaza, said Hamas refused to take directives regarding its internal or foreign policies. Mr. Sawaf added that Mr. Haniya would probably invite Iranian officials to visit Gaza.
The visit was likely to antagonize the Israeli government, which believes that Hamas and Iran want to destroy it.
“For anyone who had any illusions as to the extremist nature of Hamas, I would hope this would serve as a wake-up call,” said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. “The leadership of Iran and the leadership of Hamas share the same extremist goals. In many ways, Hamas is Iran’s proxy.”
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