Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei has released a statement in response to the ongoing strikes across Lebanon and the Beirut suburb of Dahieh, saying that Lebanon will make Israel “regret their actions”.
On Friday, Israel launched a large airstrike on the neighborhood that reportedly killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
In the statement Khamenei said, “the killing of the defenseless in Lebanon has once again exposed the brutality of the rabid Zionist dog to everyone and demonstrated the short-sightedness and foolishness of the policies of the usurping regime’s leaders.”
“The terrorist gang has not learned from its year-long criminal war in Gaza, nor has it understood that the mass killing of women, children, and civilians cannot shake the solid structure of the Resistance or destroy it. Now, they are pursuing the same foolish policy in Lebanon. The Zionist criminals must know that they are far too insignificant to inflict significant damage on the strong structure of Hezbollah in Lebanon. All resistance forces in the region stand with Hezbollah and support it. The fate of this region will be determined by the resistance forces, with Hezbollah at the forefront.”
“The people of Lebanon have not forgotten that there was a time when the soldiers of the usurping regime trampled over them on their way to Beirut, and it was Hezbollah that cut off their advance and made Lebanon proud and honorable. Today, Lebanon will again make the aggressor and malicious enemy regret their actions. It is the duty of all Muslims to stand proudly with the people of Lebanon and Hezbollah, using all their resources to confront the oppressive and malevolent usurping regime.”
Two Iranian officials speaking to Reuters have said that Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location, with heightened security in place around him.
The same sources told Reuters that Iran is in contact with Hezbollah and the other members of the ‘axis of resistance’ to determine their next steps following recent days’ massive escalation.
