Khamenei vows to respond to attacks on Iran and allies

2024-11-02 12:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Saturday to retaliate against attacks by Israel and its ally, the United States, that have targeted Tehran and groups it supports in the region.

"The enemies, both the United States and the Zionist regime, know that they will face a severe response for what they are doing against Iran, the Iranian nation, and the resistance front," Khamenei said in a speech to students in Tehran.

He was referring to the alliance of armed groups backed by Iran, including Yemen's Houthi rebels, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Hamas and Hezbollah have been declared terrorist groups by the United States, while the European Union has put Hamas, and only the military wing of Hezbollah, on the terrorist list.

Regional tensions have escalated since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October last year.

The war has been fueled by attacks by Hamas militants in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages.

As a result of the Israeli campaign in Gaza, more than 43,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has since begun attacking the border area with Israel as a sign of support for its Palestinian ally Hamas.

Since the offensive launched by Israel in Lebanon at the beginning of October, at least 2,890 people have been killed, according to the Lebanese authorities.

On October 26, Israel launched airstrikes against Iran's military areas in response to Tehran's October 1 attack on Israel.

Even that attack was revenge for the murders of leaders of militant groups and a commander of the Revolutionary Guard.

At least four Iranian soldiers were killed in those Israeli strikes, which authorities said caused "limited damage" to some radar systems.

In his speech, Khamanei prayed for the killed soldiers and said that their efforts to confront Israel "will not be forgotten".

Israel, on the other hand, has warned against any retaliation after the October 26 attacks.

The United States announced on Friday that it will position additional military assets in the Middle East, including ballistic missile destroyers and long-range fighter jets.

This announcement was seen as a warning to Iran.

Khamenei has said that Iran is "doing everything that needs to be done to prepare the Iranian nation, either in the military aspect, or in terms of weapons, as well as on the political level", but without giving more details.

On Saturday, the spokesman of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Ali Mohammad Naini, said that Iran will respond "resolutely" to Israel.

"The enemy must learn that he cannot commit the mischief he wants, he will face a harsh response," Naini said, according to the news agency, Fars./REL