Tehran(Iran): Amid the massive combat between Israel and Iran, Iran's supreme leader Khamenei delivered his first Friday sermon in Tehran, saying that his country and its allies would continue to fight against Israel, which, he said, 'Will Not Last Long'.
Addressing a huge crowd of thousands in Farsi-speaking Iran, Khamenei said in Arabic that the resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms, and will win. The address comes as Israel weighs retaliation for Hezbollah backer Iran's missile attack which Tehran said was revenge for the killing of Nasrallah and other top figures.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Friday address in Tehran was the first since Iran launched its second ever attack on Israel, and also the first since exchanges of fire pitting Hezbollah fighters against Israeli troops escalated into full-blown war in Lebanon. Nearly a year after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Israel in its history on October 7, Israel announced it was shifting its focus to securing its border with Lebanon.
In a post on X, Khamenei paid glowing tributes to slain Hezbollah chief Nasrallah. "I believe it’s necessary to honor my brother, my dear one, who was a source of pride for me, an admired personage in the Islamic world & the articulate voice of the nations in the region, the shining jewel of Lebanon, Sayyid Hassan #Nasrallah, during this Friday Prayer in Tehran," he said.
The Iranian supreme leader further said, "Martyr Nasrallah’s most important message during his lifetime to the people of Lebanon was to not despair over the loss of prominent figures such as Imam Musa Sadr, Sayyid Abbas Mousavi; to increase your efforts; to stand up to the aggressive enemy; and to defeat them."
Referring to the Lebanese people, Khamenei said, "My dear ones! The devoted Lebanese nation! The exuberant youth of #Hezbollah and #Amal! My children! This is what our martyred Sayyid wants today from his people, the Resistance Front, and the entire Islamic Ummah."
The Iranian leader launched a sharp attack on Israel, saying "The consequences of killing civilians & bombardments is an increase in ppl’s anger & motivation, the emergence of ppl willing to sacrifice their lives & a tighter noose around the neck of bloodthirsty Zionist wolf, which will ultimately lead to the elimination of its existence."
On its part, Israel says its objective is to allow 60,000 Israelis displaced by a year of cross-border rocket attacks launched by Hezbollah to return to their homes. Israel's attacks on Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people since September 23, according to the Lebanese health ministry, and forced hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes in a country already mired in economic crisis.
They have also killed a host of Hezbollah commanders, an Iranian general and, in their biggest blow to the group in decades, assassinated its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. (with agency inputs)
