Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of committing “shameless crimes” against children rather than combatants, urging Islamic nations to unite in efforts to eliminate it.
On Shabbos, Khamenei claimed that Israel was openly committing various “shameless crimes” in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. He asserted to a group of Muslim diplomats in Tehran, in remarks aired on state television, that Israel was not targeting “fighting men, but ordinary people.”
“Unable to hurt the real fighters in Palestine, they are venting their malicious anger on small children, on hospital patients, and on schools filled with young children,” he stated.
He called for Islamic countries to “completely cut off their economic relations” with Israel and to “weaken political ties.”
“This inner strength can eliminate the Zionist regime, this malignant cancerous tumor, from the heart of the Islamic community in Palestine and get rid of US domination and coercive interference in the region,” he added.
These statements followed an Israeli airstrike on Beirut that killed several high-ranking commanders of the Hezbollah terror group, including its operations chief.
Israel confirmed that at least 16 prominent Hezbollah fighters were killed in this strike, which targeted key leaders of the elite Radwan Force, including Ibrahaim Aqil, who was orchestrating plans for an invasion of Galilee. According to the Lebanese health ministry, the airstrike resulted in at least 31 fatalities, among them three children and seven women.
Friday’s airstrike marked the deadliest incident in a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks on Israel’s northern border since October in support of Hamas in Gaza.
This airstrike came after two days of incidents where pagers and walkie-talkies utilized by Hezbollah operatives exploded. Lebanon attributed these blasts to Israel, which has not confirmed or denied its role in the incidents.
Additionally, on Saturday, Iran showcased its “Jihad” single-stage liquid-fuel ballistic missile, featuring a high-explosive detachable warhead with a range of 1,000 km, according to state television.
The missiles were presented alongside various military equipment during a parade commemorating the anniversary of the start of the Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988.
An upgraded one-way attack drone was also revealed. The Shahed-136B drone represents an enhanced version of the original Shahed-136, boasting new capabilities and an operational range exceeding 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles), as reported by state news agency IRNA.
Western governments have accused Iran of supplying both drones and missiles to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine, a claim that Iran has consistently denied.
New President Masoud Pezeshkian was present at the annual parade in Tehran.
“Today, our defensive and deterrent capabilities have grown so much that no demon even thinks about any aggression towards our dear Iran,” he stated.
“With unity and cohesion among Islamic countries… we can put in its place the bloodthirsty, genocidal usurper Israel, which shows no mercy to anyone, women or children, old or young,” he continued.
{Matzav.com}