TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has hailed the Iranian military’s Tuesday retaliatory attack against Israel as “brilliant”, noting that the attack dubbed Operation True Promise II was both “legal and legitimate”. 

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks while addressing a sea of citizens that had gathered in central Tehran for this week’s Friday prayers. “The actions taken by our armed forces were the ‘least punishment’ for the usurping Zionist regime in response to its astonishing crimes,” he said, adding, “The Islamic Republic will carry out any duty in this regard with power, firmness, and decisiveness. In fulfilling this duty, we neither hesitate nor act hastily; we do not hesitate, we do not fall short, and we do not rush.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that Iran would take similar measures in the future “if necessary”.

Iran’s Tuesday operation against Israel involved firing approximately 200 ballistic missiles at military bases in the occupied territories from Iranian soil. The attack came in response to a series of terrorist attacks by the regime, which killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary-General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian military advisor in Lebanon Brigadier General Abbas Nilforooshan.

October 1 marked Iran’s second direct attack against Israeli positions in the occupied territories, with the first one occurring in April following a Zionist regime’s airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus. 

Part of Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech was in Arabic, mainly focusing on Resistance groups in the region. 

In commemorating the martyrdom of Nasrallah, Ayatollah Khamenei declared that the top Hezbollah figure’s "true personality, his soul, his path, and his expressive voice are still among us and will be with us forever." He praised Nasrallah for his "eloquent voice and brave defense of the oppressed" and described his influence as extending beyond Lebanon, Iran, and Arab countries. 

In part of his remarks, he directly addressed the Lebanese nation. “Nasrallah’s most important message in words and action during his lifetime to you, the devoted people of Lebanon, was to not despair or become distraught over the loss of prominent figures such as Imam Musa Sadr, Sayyid Abbas Mousavi, and others; to not doubt about your struggle; to increase your efforts and your capabilities; to double your solidarity; to stand up to the aggressive, intrusive enemy; and to defeat them by strengthening your faith and putting your trust in God.”

He also declared that all Muslims are obligated to "pay their debt to the wounded and bloody Lebanon," stressing the legitimacy of Hezbollah's actions in defending Palestinians and fighting for the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He described Hezbollah's actions as "legal, reasonable, logical and legitimate," emphasizing that no one has the right to criticize their involvement in the conflict.

The Leader also defended the October 2023 "Al-Aqsa Storm" operation by Palestinian fighters inside Israeli-occupied territories, calling it "right and internationally legal." He maintained that the Palestinian nation has the right to resist the "usurping enemy of Palestine" and no one can take umbrage at their actions against the aggressors.

He then condemned the U.S. and its allies for supporting Israel, stating that they are "turning the usurping regime into their tool to take over all the resources of this region." Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted that their goal is to control energy exports from the region and imports of goods and technology from the West. 

Ayatollah Khamenei asserted that any attack against Israel serves the interests of the “entire region and humanity,” calling the U.S. and Israel's plan for the region "a false and impossible fantasy." He emphasized that the Israeli regime relies solely on American support to survive, declaring that this situation "will not last long."

“The clear reason for this statement is that for a year now, despite spending several billion dollars in Gaza and Lebanon, and despite the comprehensive support given by the United States and several other Western governments, the enemy has failed in its confrontation with several thousand fighters and mujahid on the path of God, who are besieged and blocked from receiving any assistance from the outside. The only thing it [the Zionist regime] has been able to do is to bomb homes, schools, hospitals, and centers with a dense unarmed population.”

The Leader concluded by calling for Muslim unity against the arrogant powers who seek to divide and conquer Islamic states. He emphasized the importance of solidarity amongst Muslim nations, stating that "divine wisdom will support you and you will overcome all obstacles and win over all enemies." He declared that the time has come for the Islamic Ummah to "overcome the plots of the enemies" and that the "enemy of the Iranian nation is the same enemy of the Palestinian nation, the Lebanese nation, the Iraqi nation, the Egyptian nation, the Syrian nation, and the Yemeni nation. The enemy is one."