Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said that his country’s recent missile strikes were minimum punishment for Israel’s “crimes”.
Addressing a large crowd during Friday prayer sermons, Khamenei called the attacks “legal and legitimate”, adding that Iran will neither “procrastinate nor act hastily to carry out its duty” to confront Israel. “The operation of our armed forces a few nights ago was totally legal and legitimate,” he said.
In his first Friday sermon in five years, Khamenei said that Israel will “never be victorious” over Hezbollah and Hamas. He further added that resistance against Israel in the region would not back down, even with the killing of its leaders.
“Our resistant people in Lebanon and Palestine, all these testimonies and spilled blood will not shake your will, but rather strengthen your steadfastness”, Khamenei said.
The Supreme Leader’s remarks come after Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s Beirut which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.