Iran’s supreme leader has claimed its missile attack on Israel was “fully legal and legitimate” – as he warned “it will be done in the future again if it becomes necessary”.
In a rare speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also described the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October as a “legitimate” act – and he urged Tehran’s allies to “double your efforts and capabilities” against a “common enemy”.
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Mr Khamenei had a rifle by his side as he gave his first address at Friday prayers in five years after Iran fired a barrage of at least 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday night.
The strikes were in retaliation for a series of Israeli strikes on Lebanon which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other members of the militant group’s top command.
Hezbollah is designated a terror group by the UK, the US and other Western nations.
Mr Khamenei praised the Iranian retaliation in his address on Friday, telling those gathered at the Mosalla mosque in Tehran: “The shining job by our armed forces two or three nights ago was fully legal and legitimate.”
“It will be done in the future again if it becomes necessary,” he added.
The 85-year-old’s hand occasionally grasped the barrel of a rifle that stood to his left, a custom that has been followed by Friday prayer leaders across the country for decades.
Iran’s supreme leader holds a weapon during his speech. Pic: WANA/Reuters
Iran said it hit most of its targets on Tuesday but there have been no reports of casualties and Israel claimed it intercepted many of the missiles.
The Iran attack was the latest escalation as fears have grown of an all-out war in the region since Hamas carried out an attack on Israel in October last year – killing around 1,200 people and taking a further 250 hostage.
Israel has responded by launching air and ground attacks in Gaza – with the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory saying so far more than 41,000 people have been killed. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and fighters.
In his 40-minute speech just days away from the anniversary of the Hamas attack, Mr Khamenei said the Palestinian militant group’s incursion was a “legitimate” action and that “every country has the right to defend itself from aggressors”.
A ceremony was held in Iran to commemorate killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Pic: WANA/Reuters
It is not the first time Mr Khamenei has praised the Hamas incursion, as shortly after the attack he said Israel’s “own actions are to blame for this disaster”.
In his speech on Friday, Iran’s supreme leader urged nations from “Afghanistan to Yemen and from Iran to Gaza and Yemen” to be ready to take action against Israel and praised those who had died doing so.
“Our resisting people in Lebanon and Palestine, you brave fighters, you loyal and patient people, these martyrdoms and the blood that was shed shouldn’t shake your determination but make you more persistent,” he said.
Reflecting on the Iranian strikes on Israel, Mr Khamenei told Tehran’s allies in region: “We’re defending ourselves but we’re also defending you against a common enemy that through violence and terror seeks to destroy our way of life.”
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Mr Khamenei also told Israel adversaries to “double your efforts and capabilities… and resist the aggressive enemy”.
A ceremony commemorating the death of Nasrallah was held before the supreme leader’s speech.
Most high-ranking Iranian officials, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and top Revolutionary Guard generals, attended the ceremony.
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Mr Khamenei’s last appearance at Friday prayers was after the death of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 in a US drone strike in Baghdad.
Also on Friday, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, where he was expected to discuss with Lebanese officials the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
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Meanwhile, Israel carried out a series of massive air strikes in southern suburbs of Beirut overnight and another that cut off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, a crossing point for tens of thousands of people fleeing Israeli bombardment.
Israel launched a ground incursion into Lebanon on Tuesday and its forces have been clashing with Hezbollah militants in a narrow strip along the border.
Israel claims around 250 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since the ground operation began, while at least 10 Israeli soldiers have died in the action.