Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei defends missile barrage against Israel in rare sermon

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared successful a uncommon sermon Friday that his country’s ballistic rocket onslaught connected Israel earlier this week was "legal and legitimate" and that the "resistance successful the portion volition not backmost down adjacent with the sidesplitting of its leaders." 

The nationalist code from Khamenei was his archetypal during Friday prayers successful Tehran in astir 5 years, according to the AFP.  

Khamenei said Iran volition not "procrastinate nor enactment hastily to transportation retired its duty" successful going aft Israel, Reuters reports. 

The quality bureau cited him arsenic saying that Tuesday’s barrage of astir 200 missiles fired by Iran astatine Israel was "legal and legitimate" and the minimum punishment for Israel’s "crimes." 

IRAN WARNS OF ‘DECISIVE RESPONSE’ IF ISRAEL CROSSES ‘RED LINES’ 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday Prayers and a commemoration ceremonial of Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah successful Tehran, Iran, connected Oct. 4. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

"The absorption successful the portion volition not backmost down adjacent with the sidesplitting of its leaders," Khamenei reportedly added, mentioning precocious slain Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah during the speech. 

The remarks came arsenic the Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, the commandant of Hezbollah’s Communications Unit, was killed successful an airstrike successful Beirut, Lebanon. 

"Sakafi was a elder Hezbollah terrorist, who was liable for the communications portion since 2000," the IDF wrote connected X. "Sakafi invested important efforts to make connection capabilities betwixt each of Hezbollah's units." 

ISRAEL BANS UN SECRETARY-GENERAL OVER ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIONS 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday that Iran's rocket onslaught connected Israel this week was "legal and legitimate," Reuters reports.  (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier this week that the Iranian rocket onslaught connected Israel was "defeated and ineffective" and that the U.S. subject coordinated with the IDF to repel the strikes.  

"U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli Air Defense units successful firing interceptors to sprout down inbound missiles. President Biden and Vice President Harris monitored the onslaught and the effect from the White House Situation Room, joined successful idiosyncratic and remotely by their nationalist information team," Sullivan said during a briefing.  

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile strategy intercepts rockets during the rocket attack, arsenic seen from Ashkelon, Israel, connected Tuesday, Oct. 1. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)

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"This is simply a important escalation by Iran, a important event, and it is arsenic important that we were capable to measurement up with Israel and make a concern successful which nary 1 was killed successful this onslaught successful Israel… We are present going to look astatine what the due adjacent steps are to secure, archetypal and foremost, American interests and past to beforehand stableness to the maximum grade imaginable arsenic we spell forward," helium added. 

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.