Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Iran's recent missile attack on Israel was "legal and legitimate" and was the minimum punishment for Israel's "crimes."
Khamenei told a huge crowd during Friday prayer sermons 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.
US President Joe Biden said on Thursday Israel's response to Iran’s barrage of missiles could include a strike on Iran's oil facilities.
Khamenei also said on Friday that the US and its allies were preserving the security of Israel to make it an energy exporting gate from the region to the West, but that the resistance in the region would not back down against Israel.
He urged nations from “Afghanistan to Yemen and from Iran to Gaza and Yemen” to be ready to take action against the enemy, and praised those who had died doing so.
“Our resisting people in Lebanon and Palestine, you brave fighters, you loyal and patient people, these martyrdoms and the blood that was shed shouldn’t shake your determination but make you more persistent,” he said.
Khamenei gave half of the speech in Arabic as he addressed his comments to Arab nations.
Khamenei's last appearance at Friday prayers was after the death of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 in a US drone strike in Baghdad.
A ceremony commemorating Nasrallah's assassination was held before Khamenei’s speech. Most high-ranking Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and top Revolutionary Guard generals, attended the ceremony.
