Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, characterized the country’s recent missile airstrikes as a “minimum punishment” for Israel’s “astonishing crimes” during a speech in Tehran on Friday.
Khamenei notably praised the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israeli forces, as part of his address.
This speech followed Iran’s launch of nearly 200 missiles at Israel, which it claimed was retaliation for Nasrallah’s assassination.
In his sermon, Khamenei lauded Nasrallah and expressed strong support for Hamas and Hezbollah, stating that they provided “vital service to the entire region and the entire Islamic world.”
He affirmed that Iran-aligned armed groups “will not back down” in their ongoing conflict with Israel, which intensified nearly a year ago after Hamas conducted deadly raids into the country.
As the primary supporter of Hezbollah, Hamas, and other armed factions across the Middle East that target Israel, Iran is often referred to as part of the “Axis of Resistance.”
In recent weeks, Israeli strikes and presumed assassinations have resulted in the deaths of several senior leaders from Iran-backed groups and Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards.