Khamenei praises missile strike on Israel in first public sermon in 5 years

New Delhi: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was leading Friday prayers and was to deliver a rare public sermon in the Iranian capital, Tehran, that was being watched for signs of what Iran might plan next.

In a 40-minute speech, he praised Tuesday’s missile barrage against Israel as a shining job by Iranian armed forces.

“It will be done in the future again if it becomes necessary,” he said.

There was a commemoration ceremony for the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah beforehand. Most high-ranking Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Revolutionary Guard’s top generals, attended the ceremony.

Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike has cut off a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria. The airstrike led to the closure of a road near the Masnaa Border Crossing, from where tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria over the past two weeks. (AP)