Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday his country and regional backers would not back down from Israel, in an appearance just hours after an Israeli attack in Beirut is believed to have targeted the heir to the slain Hezbollah leader. supported by Tehran.
"The brilliant action of our armed forces a few nights ago was completely legal and legitimate," Iranian leader Khamenei said in a rare appearance at Friday prayers in Tehran, referring to Iran's missile attacks on Israel on Tuesday. .
"Israel cannot seriously harm Hezbollah and Hamas. The enemy's policy is divide and rule. They have implemented these policies in different ways in Muslim countries, but today the nations have woken up; today is the day you can overcome this deception of the enemies of Islam and Muslims. The Koran's policy for Muslims is that Islamic governments must stand in solidarity with each other," Khamenei said.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on resistance groups, including the Lebanese and Palestinians, to resist and strengthen their unity against the "bloody wolf", Israel. He then assured that the axis of the Resistance "will not retreat, we must continue until the shameful existence of the Zionists is eliminated."
"Strategic patience is over. Muslim nations have a "common enemy" and must "tighten a protective belt" from Afghanistan to Yemen and from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon," the Iranian supreme leader emphasized.
However, a source close to Hezbollah told AFP that the slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was buried "temporarily" in a secret location. The last time Khamenei led Friday prayers was almost five years ago to commemorate the death of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed by the US in an airstrike at Baghdad International Airport.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Israel's response could include strikes on Iran's oil facilities.
Biden stressed that he does not believe there will be an "all-out war" in the Middle East, as Israel is considering options for retaliation, but he said more must be done to prevent such a thing.