Source IRIran_Military X account
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Israel “Won’t Last Long”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public Friday sermon in five years, warning that Israel “won’t last long” and voicing strong support for Palestinian and Lebanese groups fighting against the country.
The rare address, delivered at a mosque in Tehran to tens of thousands of supporters, comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Khamenei Backs Hamas and Hezbollah
In his sermon, Khamenei justified Iran’s missile strikes on Israel, describing them as a “public service” in support of regional resistance movements. He praised the actions of both the Palestinian Hamas group and the Lebanese Hezbollah, calling for Muslims worldwide to support these organizations in their “battle for al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Khamenei also honored Hassan Nasrallah, the former chief of Hezbollah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last week. “Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is no longer with us, but his spirit and his path will continue to inspire us forever,” said Khamenei, calling Hezbollah a “blessed tree” that grew stronger under Nasrallah’s leadership.
Sermon Amid Rising Tensions
The speech marked a defiant stand against Israel, which Khamenei labeled as a “tool” of the United States for controlling the region’s resources. He accused Israel of existing solely due to American support and vowed that the “Zionist entity will be uprooted from the ground.” The sermon came just three days after Iran launched 180 missiles targeting key Israeli infrastructure, a move that has further escalated tensions between the two nations.
Khamenei’s sermon also coincided with a period of internal threats to his leadership, with reports suggesting he remains a prime target for Israeli retaliation. The Iranian leader has not delivered a Friday sermon since January 2020, following a missile attack on a U.S. army base in Iraq in response to the assassination of top Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani.
A Call to Support Lebanon and Palestine
Khamenei called on Muslims globally to assist the people of Lebanon and Palestine in their struggle against Israel, reiterating his backing of Hamas’s October 7 attacks, which he described as a “correct move” against the occupation.
“There is no doubt that the Zionists and the Americans are dreaming,” Khamenei said, asserting that Israel’s existence is “unstable” and that the Zionist state “has no roots.” His comments reflect Iran’s continued opposition to Israel’s presence in the region and its support for groups engaged in anti-Israel activities.
The sermon is seen as a strategic move to rally internal and regional support as tensions between Iran and Israel continue to escalate. It also underscores the deepening divide between Iran and Western powers, particularly the United States, over the situation in the Middle East.
