Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared the Oct. 7 attack which killed 1,139 Israelis to be “legitimate,” in his first public sermon in five years delivered in Persian and translated by the BBC monitoring service.
In his public address on Friday morning Khamenei described the Oct. 7 assault as the “minimum punishment” Israel deserved for what he called its “astonishing crimes.” He further condemned Israel as a “vampire” regime and referred to its primary ally, the United States, as a “rabid dog.”
AP newswire has cited Iran television sources as reporting he said the recent missile attacks were a “shining” example of how to fight Israel and how Tuesday’s barrage was based on international law, the country’s law and Islamic beliefs.
He urged nations from “Afghanistan to Yemen and from Iran to Gaza and Yemen” to be ready to take action against the enemy, and praised those who had died doing so, saying “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 that Israel “will not last long” and referring to the present conflict, he stated Israel “cannot seriously harm” Hezbollah and Hamas, two poles of what he called Iran’s “Axis of Resistance.”
He said that Iran would “not delay nor rush to respond to Israel” as tensions continue to rise following Tehran’s recent missile strike. His comments appeared to address potential Israeli retaliation after the ballistic missile salvo launched earlier this week.
Khamenei praised the strike as a “brilliant action” by Iranian armed forces, calling it “completely legal and legitimate.”
Khamenei’s comments mark a sharp escalation in rhetoric, underscoring Iran’s staunch stance amid the intensifying regional conflict.
The decision to hold such a rare sermon is a significant move that comes just days before the anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which began following an Oct. 7 attack by Iran-backed Palestinian militants.
Khamenei, who holds the highest authority in Iran, led prayers at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran.
large crowds are seen as Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei leads Friday prayers at Imam Khomeini Musalla Mosque on October 04, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Protesters supporting Iran’s military position against Israel take to the streets of Tehran after Friday prayers at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei delivered a public sermon after a commemoration ceremony for the leader of Hezbollah who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
Before Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s recent address, Iranian officials held a ceremony commemorating the death of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. High-ranking attendees included President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior Revolutionary Guard generals.
Khamenei’s sermon was held against the backdrop of escalating conflict in the Middle East, with Israel’s ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon having claimed over 100 lives on Thursday according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, over 70 villages in the south of the country under Israeli evacuation orders and the nation’s capital Beirut under attack by Israeli warplanes.
Flames and smoke rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. It is feared oil prices will surge to their greatest levels in a year due to Middle East conflicts. HUSSEIN MALLA/AP
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Friday that two hospitals in southern Lebanon have halted operations due to escalating Israeli airstrikes.
According to the agency, four paramedics from the Islamic Health Society were killed in a drone strike near Marjayoun Governmental Hospital, prompting staff to evacuate and close the facility.
A second hospital, a state-run facility in the border village of Mais al-Jabal, also ceased operations due to staff evacuations and severe shortages of fuel, medicine, and electricity, leaving critical areas without medical services.
The Israeli military reported to AP on Friday that two soldiers were killed and at least two others “severely injured” in a drone attack in northern Israel. The military stated that the drone entered Israel from the east but provided no further details on its origin or operator.
The attack comes amid heightened conflict, with nine additional Israeli soldiers reported killed since the start of Israel’s ground incursion into southern Lebanon on Monday.
Iran’s Foreign Minister hints at a truce, amid threats
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Friday that Tehran would respond “harshly” if Israel carries out an attack on Iran, amid escalating regional tensions according to AP. “If the Israeli entity takes any step or measure against us, our retaliation will be stronger than the previous one,” Araghchi said, referencing Iran’s recent missile strike on Israel involving 180 rockets.
Araghchi’s remarks followed his meeting with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut. He defended Iran’s strike as “legitimate self-defense” in response to Israel’s attacks on Iran and the Iranian consulate in Syria in April.
The foreign minister expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, conditional upon a simultaneous ceasefire in Gaza. Araghchi emphasized that any truce should “preserve the rights of the Lebanese people” and gain acceptance from Hezbollah.
Oil is on track for its strongest week in over a year as escalating tensions in the Middle East spark fears of a broader regional conflict.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, stabilized at just under $78 per barrel following a sharp 5% surge, spurred by President Joe Biden‘s confirmation that the U.S. is weighing support for potential Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities.
Crude prices have climbed nearly 8% this week, the highest increase since April 2023, as markets react to the possibility of a wider war in the Middle East impacting global energy supplies.
It is feared if Israel were to strike Kharg Island, where 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil passes through then world economies could be thrown into chaos as the price of goods rockets to levels not seen since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
IDF claims 250 Hezbollah fighters killed
The Israeli military reported Friday that it has killed at least 250 Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since the start of its ground incursion on Monday, according the latest AP report. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani stated that most of the nine Israeli soldiers who have been killed so far died during intense “close quarters” combat with Hezbollah fighters.
Israeli military sources confirmed on Thursday that nine of its soldiers had been killed in combat in Lebanon by that time.
Shoshani noted in the report that the areas where Israeli forces are operating are heavily laden with explosives and weapons, complicating operations. He also confirmed that an Israeli airstrike around midnight on Thursday in Beirut targeted Hezbollah’s central intelligence headquarters, though he declined to specify if any specific individuals were targeted.
When asked about the duration of the ground incursion and the feasibility of permanently eradicating Hezbollah from the Israel-Lebanon border, Shoshani said, “Our mission is to make sure they’re not there. Afterwards, we will talk about how we make sure they don’t come back.”
Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. The IDF claims to have killed 250 Hezbollah fighters. BAZ RATNER/AP
Israeli airstrikes target Lebanon-Syria tunnel
The Israeli military announced Friday that its fighter jets struck an underground tunnel between Lebanon and Syria, as well as areas around the Masnaa border crossing, a primary route for civilians escaping Israel’s offensive, reported press agency AP.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Thursday’s strikes effectively severed the main highway linking Lebanon with Syria, a route used by tens of thousands of people fleeing recent fighting.
Israel’s military stated that Hezbollah has utilized the two mile tunnel to smuggle weapons from Iran and other allies. Israeli strikes also targeted infrastructure around the Masnaa crossing, reportedly being used by militants.
Although the Masnaa crossing is now closed, several other border crossings between Lebanon and Syria remain open. Hezbollah is widely believed to have acquired much of its weaponry from Iran via Syria.
Hezbollah communications chief killed
The Israeli military announced Friday that an airstrike in Beirut on Thursday killed Mohammed Skafi, the head of Hezbollah’s communications division.
In a statement, the Israeli military described Skafi as “a senior Hezbollah terrorist” who had led the group’s communications unit since 2000 and maintained close ties with high-ranking Hezbollah officials.
US evacuates 250 Americans
The U.S. has facilitated flights this week for approximately 250 Americans and their relatives to leave Lebanon as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, leaving thousands of others in Lebanon amid ongoing airstrikes and dwindling commercial flight options according to AP.
In Washington, senior State Department and White House officials met Thursday with top Arab American representatives to discuss U.S. efforts to assist Americans still in Lebanon. The leaders also held separate meetings with Department of Homeland Security officials on additional support measures.
Hezbollah leader targeted
Hashem Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah leader once presumed heir of assassinated cleric Hassan Nasrallah, was the target of an Israeli strike in Lebanon, Israeli and U.S. media reported on Thursday.
Safieddine was in a Beirut bunker struck by Israeli aircraft on Wednesday, Axios reported, citing unnamed Israeli officials. The New York Times also cited Israeli officials without naming them in its account of the attack in the Lebanese capital, while Israeli media cited Lebanese officials. None of the reports made clear whether Safieddine had been killed.
Newsweek
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.