Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Iran is undeterred in its efforts against Israel and the West in his first public appearance since Iran’s attack on Israel.
“The resistance in the region will not back down even with the killing of its leaders, ” Khamenei said while leading Friday prayers in Tehran.
Khamenei said Iran’s October 1 missile attack was the minimum punishment for Israel’s “crimes.” He further added that “every strike launched by any group against Israel is a service to the region and to all humanity.”
Khamenei, while grasping the barrel of a rifle, told the massive crowd that Iran will not “procrastinate nor act hastily to carry out its duty” in confronting Israel, adding that the missile attack on Israel was “legal and legitimate.”
Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last Friday and the assassination of Hamas’ chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Iran blames Israel for Haniyeh’s killing. Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility.
Retribution for attack
The attack led to questions in Israel about retribution. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking Israeli officials have promised a severe consequence for Tehran’s actions.
“We will keep to the rule we have determined: Whoever attacks us – we attack them,” he said in a statement
Former prime minister Ehud Barak said that if Israel attacks, it would likely target the Iranian oil industry. This came after US President Joe Biden suggested on Thursday that Israel’s response to Iran’s missile salvo, which it fended off with its extensive defenses, could include a strike on Iran’s oil facilities.
His comments contributed to a surge in global oil prices, as traders consider potential supply disruptions.
Further, the semi-official Iranian news agency SNN quoted Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Ali Fadavi as saying on Friday that if Israel attacks, Tehran would target Israeli energy and gas installations.
“If the occupiers make such a mistake, we will target all their energy sources, installations, and all refineries and gas fields,” Fadavi said.
Iran’s proxies in its “Axis of Resistance”– Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and armed groups in Iraq – have carried out attacks in the region in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza war. Khamenei said Afghanistan should join the “defense.”
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