Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set to lead Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in nearly five years, coinciding with heightened regional tensions following Iran’s missile attacks on Israel in response to the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
The prayers will take place at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque and will be part of a commemoration ceremony for Nasrallah, starting at 10:30 am local time. Khamenei’s last sermon was in January 2020, shortly after Iran’s missile strike on a US army base in Iraq, which was retaliation for the assassination of Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani.
This sermon is particularly significant as it comes just days before the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which began with an attack by Hamas on October 7. Following Nasrallah’s death, Khamenei has urged Muslims to support Lebanon and Hezbollah, calling for action against what he terms the “wicked regime” of Israel. He declared five days of mourning and emphasized that “his blood will not go unavenged,” reaffirming his commitment to continuing Nasrallah’s legacy.
Khamenei remarked, “Nasrallah was not an individual. He was a path and a school of thought, and that path will be continued.” His comments underscore the ongoing tensions and deep-rooted sentiments in the region.
In addition to Nasrallah, reports indicate that General Abbas Nilforushan, a senior figure in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Nilforushan, who served as deputy commander for operations in the Guard, was described as a “guest to the people of Lebanon” by Ahmad Reza Pour Khaghan, deputy head of Iran’s judiciary. Khaghan asserted Iran’s right to retaliate under international law, emphasizing the escalating conflict and potential for further military responses.
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