Iran Says Its Allies ‘Will Not Back Down’ in War With Israel

AFP/APP

Beirut: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared in a rare address on Friday that Tehran’s regional allies will continue their fight against Israel, following Iran’s missile strike on the country.

His comments came as clashes between Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces intensified, escalating into a full-blown war in Lebanon.

Khamenei defended Hamas’s actions in the Gaza Strip, which triggered the ongoing war after the group’s October 7 attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,205 people.

The assault, condemned globally, has gained support from Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Huthi rebels. Hezbollah announced further clashes with Israeli forces on the Lebanese border.

Early Saturday, AFP correspondents in Beirut reported two explosions and smoke rising over southern suburbs after Israel’s army warned residents in the Burj al-Barajneh area to evacuate.

Meanwhile, protests erupted in Jordan and Bahrain, both with ties to Israel, where demonstrators expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Israel has intensified strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, with over 1,110 people killed since September 23, displacing hundreds of thousands in Lebanon, already facing an economic crisis.

Israeli attacks have killed an Iranian general, Hezbollah commanders, and its leader Hassan Nasrallah in a significant blow to the group.

Khamenei, addressing Iran’s retaliation for Nasrallah’s killing and other figures, vowed that the region’s “resistance will not back down” and labeled Israel a “malicious regime” destined for collapse.

His speech comes as Israel considers retaliating for Iran’s missile attack, which Tehran claims avenged Nasrallah’s death. One casualty was reported in the strike.

Satellite images showed damage at Israel’s Nevatim air base following the attack. US President Joe Biden, Israel’s largest military supplier, urged Israel not to target Iran’s oil facilities amid growing regional tensions.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in Beirut, called for a ceasefire acceptable to Hezbollah, coinciding with a truce in Gaza. The US, meanwhile, targeted 15 Huthi-controlled areas in Yemen after missile attacks on Israel.

Efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas have thus far been unsuccessful.