Khamenei: Al-Aqsa Flood Operation Aims to ‘Eradicate America’

A picture distributed by the Fars Agency of Khamenei’s address to supporters on Wednesday.
A picture distributed by the Fars Agency of Khamenei’s address to supporters on Wednesday.
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Khamenei: Al-Aqsa Flood Operation Aims to ‘Eradicate America’

A picture distributed by the Fars Agency of Khamenei’s address to supporters on Wednesday.
A picture distributed by the Fars Agency of Khamenei’s address to supporters on Wednesday.

Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation ostensibly targeted the “Zionist occupation entity”, but in reality its goal was to “eradicate America.”
Fars News Agency quoted Khamenei as saying: “These operations have been able to confuse the agenda of US policies in the region, and they will continue, God willing.”
He added that the attacks committed by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza have unveiled the true image of the West.
“The brutal and inhumane operations committed by the Zionist entity against the people of Gaza did not only expose this entity and America, but also exposed well-known European countries and Western civilization and culture.”
Khamenei went on to say: “[...] When the Zionists kill 5,000 Palestinian children by throwing phosphorus bombs, the Westerners support this crime and say: Israel has the right to defend itself. This is Western culture.”
Khamenei also pointed to the American position on Lebanon, stressing that the US plans have failed.
“They were saying that they wanted to create a new Middle East... They failed to achieve this goal... They wanted to eliminate Lebanon’s Hezbollah, but their plan has led to increasing Hezbollah’s strength tenfold.”
On Iraq and Syria, the Iranian leader noted that the US administration was far from reaching its objectives.

“The Americans wanted to swallow Iraq, but they failed to do so, and they wanted to seize Syria by sending their elements to fight against ISIS and Al-Nusra... and they provided all kinds of support to them over 10 years... but could not achieve this goal...” he stated.

 

 



Traffic on French High-Speed Trains Gradually Improving after Sabotage

Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)
Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)
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Traffic on French High-Speed Trains Gradually Improving after Sabotage

Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)
Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)

Traffic on France's TGV high-speed trains was gradually returning to normal on Saturday after engineers worked overnight repairing sabotaged signal stations and cables that caused travel chaos on Friday, the opening day of the Paris Olympic Games.

In Friday's pre-dawn attacks on the high-speed rail network vandals damaged infrastructure along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled, French rail operator SNCF said.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

"On the Eastern high-speed line, traffic resumed normally this morning at 6:30 a.m. while on the North, Brittany and South-West high-speed lines, 7 out of 10 trains on average will run with delays of 1 to 2 hours," SNCF said in a statement on Saturday morning.

"At this stage, traffic will remain disrupted on Sunday on the North axis and should improve on the Atlantic axis for weekend returns," it added.

SNCF reiterated that transport plans for teams competing in the Olympics would be guaranteed.