Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei calls missile attack against Israel “legal and legitimate” International

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this Friday that Iran and its regional allies will not back down in the face of Israel. He said Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel is “legal and legitimate” and is the minimum punishment for Israel’s “crimes.” He argued, “All nations have the right to defend themselves against aggressors.” Khamenei assured a large crowd in Tehran that Iran “will not delay or rush to fulfill its duty” to confront Israel. His statements were made while leading Friday prayers, which he had not done for four years. On that occasion, he did so following the death of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite Al Quds force, the unit in charge of operations abroad, who was assassinated by the United States in Iraq.

Iran fired about 180 missiles against Israel on Tuesday, which is the largest ever. Khamenei said the attack was a response to “incredible crimes” committed by Israel. The Israeli military confirmed on Saturday, September 28 that it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut the day before. Two months ago, Hamas chief Ismail Haniya was assassinated in Tehran. Iran has blamed Israel for Haniya’s killing, while Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility. Khamenei assured that the missile launches were the “minimum punishment” that Israel deserved, a country he called a “vampire” while he called the United States a “mad dog”.

Khamenei said the United States and its allies are preserving Israel’s security by making it a gateway for the region’s energy exports to the West, but the region’s resistance will not back down in the face of Israel. He also said that all Muslim countries in the world have a “common enemy” Israel, which is why he called on them to “gird up their defense” against that enemy. Khamenei also described as “legitimate” the Hamas attack on October 7, which killed 1,200 people.

In his speech, Khamenei stressed the unity of Muslim countries in the face of the Israeli enemy, “from Afghanistan to Yemen, from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon.” He assured that Israel tries to win its war against Hezbollah or Hamas with “killings and deaths of civilians”, but “it will never be victorious” against Lebanese and Palestinian Islamic groups. “The resistance (against Israel) in the region will not weaken,” he said, ensuring that Hezbollah and Hamas fighters will not weaken despite the “bloodshed” in their ranks.

The sermon led by the supreme leader was held hours after Israel bombed Beirut, targeting Hashem Saffieddine, the potential new leader of Hezbollah, the Shia militia backed by Tehran.

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