In a rare Friday sermon, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei staunchly defended Iran’s recent missile strikes on Israel, praising the defiance of Iran-aligned groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Speaking in Arabic at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque to tens of thousands of attendees, Khamenei asserted that armed groups in the Middle East “will not back down” despite Israel’s targeted killings of militant leaders.
The sermon marked Khamenei’s first public Friday prayer in nearly five years. He highlighted the unity of the “axis of resistance,” which includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. He reaffirmed that their efforts against Israel are “logical and legitimate,” especially after the October 7 Hamas attack that ignited the ongoing war in Gaza and spread tensions across the Middle East.
In a speech punctuated by his defiant rhetoric, Khamenei stood by Tehran’s missile strikes earlier this week, which were launched in retaliation for Israeli strikes that killed key figures like Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s Abbas Nilforoushan. Khamenei emphasized that these missile attacks were “the minimum punishment” for Israel’s actions.
Khamenei further claimed that Israel’s reliance on American support is the only thing sustaining the country, stating, “It will not last long.” He reiterated Iran’s support for the Palestinian cause, which has been central to its foreign policy since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and labeled the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel as “logical and legal.”
The address comes just days before the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war, with tensions in the region showing no signs of abating. Tehran has denied direct involvement in the Hamas attack but continues to back groups opposing Israel and the U.S.
