Iran's
missile strikes on Israel were "correct, logical, and lawful",
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a vast crowd which had gathered to hear him speak
in Tehran on Friday.
The
country's supreme leader described the attack as the "minimum
punishment" for what he called Israel's "astonishing crimes"
while leading Friday prayers in the capital, something he has not done since
2020.
Khamenei's
speech came three days after Iran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel, in what
it said was retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan
Nasrallah.
The
Farsi-speaking supreme leader delivered part of his speech in Arabic to address
Palestinian and Lebanese supporters.
A
photo released by the Iranian government shows crowds gathered at the Grand
Mosalla Mosque
During
his sermon, Khamenei praised Nasrallah and voiced support for Hamas and
Hezbollah, which he said provided "vital service to the entire region and
the entire Islamic world".
He
said Iran-aligned armed groups "will not back down" in their conflict
with Israel, which entered a new phase after Hamas launched deadly raids into
Israel almost one year ago.
Iran
is the main backer of Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as other armed groups around
the Middle East which have attacked Israel. They often dub themselves the
"Axis of Resistance".
In
recent weeks, several senior leaders of Iran-backed groups and Iran's powerful
military wing, the Revolutionary Guards, have been killed in Israeli strikes or
presumed Israeli assassinations.
The
supreme leader's appearance in front of a crowd of tens of thousands in Tehran
is a sign of the gravity of the moment for the Iranian regime, which is facing widespread
domestic discontent.
It
could be read as an attempt to show strength and restore Iran’s credibility as
leader of the “Axis of Resistance”.
The
public appearance was also intended to show that Khamenei is not in hiding,
after reports emerged that he had been taken to a secure location following
Nasrallah's assassination.
The
Grand Mosalla Mosque was flooded with people after Iranians were given free
transport to attend the sermon. A large Palestinian flag was seen in the crowd.
Khamenei
holds ultimate power in Iran, but very rarely leads Friday prayers himself.
The
last time he did was in 2020, after the US killed Iran's most senior military
commander, Qassem Soleimani. The time before that was in 2012.
Iran
is still reeling from the loss of its allies Nasrallah and Hamas's political
leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran in July.
Israel
is widely considered to be behind Haniyeh's killing, though it has never
commented on his death.
Khamenei
also told the crowd that Iran would retaliate if, as expected, Israel launches
a response to Tuesday's missile attack.
"If
we needed to do that again, we would do it again in the future," Khamenei
told supporters.
On
Thursday, US President Joe Biden suggested a possible Israeli strike on Iran's
oil infrastructure had been discussed, as Israel continued to weigh up how to
strike back at Tehran.