Iran's Khamenei praises October 7 Hamas attack and calls missile attack on Israel 'minimum punishment'

Supreme leader calls on Hamas and Hezbollah to keep fighting as Israel intensifies bombings in Lebanon

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said resistance movements in the region supported by his country will continue. EPA

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Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Hamas-led October 7 attacks against Israel, during a rare Friday sermon in Tehran.

Mr Khamenei defended his country's ballistic missile attack on Tuesday as “minimum punishment” for the Israelis' “crimes” and said Iran will not hesitate to strike Israel again

Resistance movements supported by Tehran will also continue, he added.

His remarks came hours after an Israeli strike aimed at Hashem Safieddine, seen as most likely to succeed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike a week ago.

“The brilliant action of our armed forces a couple of nights ago was completely legal and legitimate,” Mr Khamenei said, referring to Iran's missile barrage towards Israel.

He was speaking at a commemoration ceremony for Mr Nasrallah, after leading prayers at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla Mosque in central Tehran – the first time in five years.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Lebanon on Friday to meet caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Mr Araghchi will also meet Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanese media reported.

In the first part of his speech delivered in Persian, Mr Khamenei also urged Muslims to “unite” against a common enemy, be it in Afghanistan, Yemen, Gaza, or Lebanon.

He urged Palestinian fighters not to become “weakened in the face of bloodshed”.

He said Israel will never be victorious over Hamas or Hezbollah and that its recent actions have only strengthened resistance movements.

Shortly after Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza, Iran-backed militias across the Middle East announced a “unity front” to support their Palestinian ally, focusing mainly on co-ordinating attacks against Israeli targets.

“The resistance in the region will not back down,” Mr Khamenei said.

Mr Khamenei's sermon came three days before the anniversary of Israel's war in Gaza.

The last time he led Friday prayers was in January 2020, after Iran fired missiles at a US army base in Iraq. Tehran said that attack was in response to an American strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force general Qassem Suleimani, near Baghdad International Airport.

Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, stating it was in retaliation for Israel's killing of Nasrallah, alongside an IRGC commander, Abbas Nilforoushan, and for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Iran has warned that any retaliation from Israel will provoke a “stronger and more powerful” response.

The US called Iran’s attack “unacceptable” and said it was working with G7 allies for a co-ordinated response. But President Joe Biden has made it clear that he would not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The southern suburbs of Beirut on Thursday night faced one of the most intense air strikes of the continuing hostilities. The attacks came minutes after Hezbollah announced it had launched Fadi-2 missiles towards a military base near the northern Israeli city of Haifa.