Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has hailed “the brilliant work of our armed forces” in launching a missile strike on the Tel Aviv area, saying it was “completely legal and legitimate”.
Ayatollah Khamenei delivered a public sermon at the weekly Friday prayer to a huge number of worshipers gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran.
“The brilliant work of our armed forces was completely legal and legitimate. What our armed forces did was the least punishment for the usurping Zionist regime over the astonishing crimes of this wolf-like regime and rabid dog of America," he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Whatever duty the Islamic Republic has in this regard, it will fulfill with strength and fortitude. We will neither delay nor hurry in carrying out the task."
“What is logical and reasonable and the opinion of the political and military decision makers will be done in the future if necessary, just like it was done” on Tuesday, he added.
The prayer in Tehran followed a commemoration ceremony for Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Ayatollah Khamenei last led Friday prayers in January 2020 after Iran fired missiles at a US army base in Iraq, in response to a strike that martyred anti-terror commander Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani.