Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said during a visit to Iran that the only path in the Palestinian struggle against Israel is that of armed resistance.

Haniyeh was quoted by the Iranian Fars news agency as saying that the “[g]un is our only response to Zionist regime.”

“In time, we have come to understand that we can obtain our goals only through fighting and armed resistance and no compromise should be made with the enemy,” Haniyeh added.

Haniyeh’s comments come as Hamas deals with an internal struggle regarding its strategy for Palestianian unity and statehood.

Yusef Rizka, an adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, said Thursday that the Hamas Prime Minister will embark on his second official international tour at the end of the month, with Iran and Qatar atop his itinerary.

Haniyeh returned this week from a trip to Egypt, Sudan, Turkey and Tunisia, which marked the first time he had left Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.

Hamas says the visits prove that it has achieved international recognition,and indicates the growing power of Islamic groups in the region.