TEHRAN: The Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel “won’t last long” as he reaffirmed the Palestinian “right” to stand up against Israel in his first sermon in five years.
Khamenei backed the Palestinian and Lebanese movements against Israel while addressing thousands of supporters at a mosque in Tehran.
He defended the October 7 attack, saying that “no court or international organization has the right to object to the Palestinian nation for resisting the Zionist regime.”
Khamenei also declared that it is “legitimate” for others to support the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
He emphasized that Iran will “not delay or rush to perform its duties.”
Khameini defended the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and called it a “legitimate act.”
The last time Khamenei led the prayers was after the killing of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guards expeditionary Quds Force, in a US airstrike on Baghdad.
Khamenei has reaffirmed the Palestinian “right” to stand up to Israel.
“The Palestinian nation has the right, in the face of the enemy that has usurped its soil, they have the right to stand up against that.”
“Their defence is legitimate, and helping them is legitimate as well.”
“The Palestinian people must determine the fate of their own country, and no court or international organization has the right to object to the Palestinian nation for standing up against the Zionist regime,” he said.
“Similarly, those who are helping the people of Palestine and Lebanon should not be criticized for providing support, as it is their duty.
“No one, by any logic, has the right to object to Hezbollah in Lebanon for supporting the Palestinian people’s uprising.
“It is their duty, and this is both an international and global logic, as well as a Quranic one. The defense of the Palestinians is legitimate, and supporting them is also legitimate,” he added.
Khamenei justified Iran’s missile strikes on Israel on Tuesday, saying “the move taken by our armed forces was the least punishment in the face of the crimes of the Zionist regime.”
He went on to refer to Israel as a “bloodthirsty”, and a “rabid dog.”
In his Friday prayer sermon, Ali Khamenei said, “The enemy of the Iranian nation is the same as the enemy of Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria.”
He added the “command center” is in one place, even if in one country it operates with a “two-tonne bomb” and in another with “psychological warfare.”
He further said that Muslim nations must first confront their enemies and reaffirm the Palestinian “right” to stand up, saying, “Their defense is legitimate, and helping them is also legitimate.”
“Today, we must fasten the belt of defense and the pursuit of independence, from Afghanistan to Yemen, and from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon, and across all Islamic countries,” he added.
“The Islamic Republic will do whatever is necessary in this regard with strength and decisiveness. In fulfilling this duty, we will neither delay nor act hastily.
“Whatever is logical, reasonable, and correct will be carried out in its due time, as decided by military and political leaders, and if necessary in the future, it will be done again,” he warned.
“The vile and cowardly enemy, unable to inflict serious harm on the strong organizations of Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or other jihadist groups fighting for the sake of God, considers terrorism, destruction, bombings, and the killing of civilians as marks of their victory,” he said.
“What is the result? The outcome of this behavior is the accumulation of rage, the increase in people’s motivation, and the emergence of more men, commanders, leaders, and self-sacrificing individuals, tightening the siege around the bloodthirsty wolf. Ultimately, this will lead to the disgraceful elimination of its existence from the world stage,” he added.
Khamenei’s appearance today was announced earlier this week by Iranian state media – in a nod to heightened regional tensions in the Middle East after the Israeli killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the October 1st Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel.
“The reliance of the US and its allies on maintaining the security of the usurping regime serves as a cover for their deadly policy of turning the regime into a tool to control all the resources of this region and use them in major global conflicts,” Khamenei said.
“Their policy is to make the regime a gateway for exporting energy from the region to the Western world and importing goods and technology from the West to the region, which essentially guarantees the existence of the usurping regime and the dependency of the entire region on it,” he added.
“This reality makes it clear to us that every blow to the regime, from anyone or any group, is a service to the entire region, and even to all of humanity. Certainly, this Zionist and American dream is a false and impossible fantasy,” he said.
“The main factor behind war, insecurity, and underdevelopment in this region is the existence of the Zionist regime and the presence of governments that claim to seek peace and tranquility in the region. The major problem of the region is foreign interference. The countries in this region are capable of establishing peace and security,” he
“The Al-Aqsa Storm and the year-long resistance of Gaza and Lebanon have brought the usurping regime to a point where its primary concern is preserving its existence – that is the same concern this regime had in the early years of its evil birth. This means that the struggle of the brave fighters of Palestine and Lebanon has managed to set the Zionist regime back seventy years,” he said.