Iran’s Supreme Leader on Friday praised the recent missile attack on Israel, and said Iran was ready to do it again if necessary, according to state television.
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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was participating in Friday prayers for the first time in about five years, called the missile strike a ” bright » work of the Iranian armed forces.
Iran launched at least 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday, the latest in a series of rapidly escalating attacks between Israel, Iran and its allies that threaten to push the Middle East closer to a region-wide war. Israel said it intercepted a large number of missiles, and officials in Washington said U.S. destroyers participated in Israel’s defense.
Iran said most of its missiles had hit their targets. No casualties were immediately reported.
A rare appearance by the supreme leader
Mr. Khamenei, 85, said in a 40-minute speech to thousands of people at the Mosalla Mosque, Tehran’s main place of worship, that Hamas’s attack on southern Israel Almost a year ago, October 7, 2023, was a legitimate action by the Palestinian people.
He said Tuesday’s missile launch was based on international law, the law of the land and Islamic beliefs.
He urged the nations “ from Afghanistan to Yemen and from Iran to Gaza and Yemen » to be ready to act against the enemy, and paid tribute to those who died for this.
« Our resistance fighters in Lebanon and Palestine, brave fighters, loyal and patient, these martyrs and the blood shed should not shake your determination, but make you more perseverant “, he said.
Mr. Khamenei delivered half of his speech in Arabic, addressing Arab nations.
His last appearance at Friday prayers was after the death of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani in 2020 during a US drone attack in Baghdad.
A ceremony commemorating the death of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasralla took place before Khamenei’s speech. Most of Iran’s top officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and top generals of the Revolutionary Guards, attended the ceremony.
Iran is Hezbollah’s main financier, to which it has sent weapons and billions of dollars. Also on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, where he was expected to discuss ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah with Lebanese officials.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran had sent a shipment of aid to Lebanon, including 10 tons of food and medicine.
