Iran’s Khamenei Justifies Missile Strike on Israel, Praises Hamas and Hezbollah Resistance
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered a rare Friday sermon defending this week’s missile attack on Israel, which heightened fears of a broader regional conflict. Addressing tens of thousands at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque in Tehran, Khamenei praised the October 7 Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel as “logical and legal” and reiterated his support for Iran-backed groups across the Middle East.
In his first Friday sermon in nearly five years, Khamenei expressed confidence that the so-called “axis of resistance,” including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, would not be deterred by recent Israeli actions, including the assassination of senior terror leaders.
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“The resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms and will win,” Khamenei declared, referring to the recent Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders. “Israel will never defeat Hamas and Hezbollah.”
Khamenei defended Iran’s missile barrage earlier this week, calling it a justified response to Israeli aggression. He argued that the strikes, which sent Israelis into bomb shelters and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank, were in line with international and Islamic law.
“What our armed forces did was the minimum punishment for the crimes of the usurping Zionist regime,” Khamenei said, adding that further escalation would bring an even stronger Iranian response.
