Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei defends attacks on Israel in his speech in Tehran

Iran's missile attacks on Israel were “right, logical and lawful,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a large crowd that gathered in Tehran on Friday to hear his speech.

The country's supreme leader described the attack as a “minimum punishment” for Israel's “astonishing crimes” as he led Friday prayers in the capital, something he had not done since 2020.

Khamenei's speech came three days after Iran fired nearly 200 rockets into Israel in what was seen as retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The Farsi-speaking supreme leader delivered part of his speech in Arabic to address Palestinian and Lebanese supporters.

During his sermon, Khamenei praised Nasrallah and expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah, which he said provided “vital services for the entire region and the entire Islamic world.”

He said Iran-aligned armed groups would “not back down” in their conflict with Israel, which has entered a new phase after Hamas launched deadly attacks on Israel nearly a year ago.

Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as other armed groups in the Middle East that have attacked Israel. They often refer to themselves as the “Axis of Resistance.”

In recent weeks, several senior leaders of Iranian-backed groups and Iran's powerful military wing, the Revolutionary Guard, have been killed in Israeli attacks or suspected Israeli assassinations.

The Supreme Leader's appearance before a crowd of tens of thousands in Tehran is a sign of the seriousness of the situation for the Iranian regime, which faces widespread domestic discontent.

It could be read as an attempt to show strength and restore Iran's credibility as the 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 safe location following Nasrallah's killing.

The Mosalla Grand Mosque was flooded with people after Iranians were given free transportation to attend the sermon. A large Palestinian flag could be seen in the crowd.

Khamenei holds absolute power in Iran, but rarely leads Friday prayers himself.

The last time he did so was in 2020, after the US killed Iran's top military commander, Qassem Soleimani. The time before that was in 2012.

Iran is still reeling from the loss of its ally Nasrallah and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran in July.

Israel is widely believed to be behind Haniyeh's murder but has never commented on his death.

Khamenei also told the crowd that Iran would retaliate if Israel launches a response to Tuesday's rocket attack, as expected.

“If we had to do this again, we would do it again in the future,” Khamenei told his supporters.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden proposed a possible Israeli attack on Iran's oil infrastructure had been discussed as Israel continued to consider how to strike back against Tehran.