Iran's religious leader Khamenei has defended the Iranian attack on Israel as a “legitimate act”. Meanwhile, Israel continues its airstrikes on Hezbollah militia targets in Beirut following heavy shelling from Lebanon.
Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defended the rocket attack on Israel and encouraged his allies in the region. “The brilliant action of our armed forces (…) was a completely legal and legitimate act,” said the head of state at the Friday sermon in Tehran. “In fulfilling our duty, we do not hesitate or act hastily.”
As usual with these speeches, a sniper rifle stood next to the lectern as a symbol of fighting spirit. Khamenei, who according to the constitution has the final say in all strategic matters of the Islamic Republic, also threatened his archenemy. “Every strike against the Zionist regime (Israel) is a service to all of humanity,” said the 85-year-old.
He described the Jewish state as a tool of the Americans. “This accursed regime is rootless, artificial and unstable and is only barely maintaining itself with the support of the United States.” The resistance of Hezbollah and Hamas will win, said Khamenei.
Iran's foreign minister for talks in Lebanon
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Lebanon for talks amid military tensions. The visit to the capital Beirut was intended to show Iran's solidarity with the Lebanese people, said Foreign Office spokesman Ismail Baghai.
However, observers suspect that the main issue is the successor to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike. Iran is the closest ally of the militant Islamist Hezbollah militia, which has been significantly weakened following the death of its leader.
Massive air strikes on Beirut
There were also massive air strikes by the Israeli military in Beirut today. Three Israeli government officials told The New York Times that the Israeli strikes targeted a meeting of senior Hezbollah leaders, including Hashim Safi al-Din, head of the Hezbollah militia's executive council. He was previously considered the most promising candidate to succeed Nasrallah.
There is no official statement from the Israeli army. It is unclear whether Safi al-Din was killed in the attack. It is also not known how many people died in the attack in Beirut. Across Lebanon, 37 people were killed and 151 others were injured within one day, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah's communications chief was killed in an attack in Beirut yesterday. Mohammed Rashid Skafi was “a senior Hezbollah terrorist,” the military said today. He died in Lebanon on Thursday. There was initially no confirmation from Hezbollah.
Ground offensive in southern Lebanon continues
Meanwhile, Israeli troops and tanks continue to advance in southern Lebanon. According to the army, a three and a half kilometer long tunnel under the Syrian-Lebanese border was destroyed. The army said warplanes bombed the tunnel near the Masnaa border crossing. The tunnel was so spacious that large quantities of weapons could be channeled through. The army emphasized that it also served as a storage room for war materials. The commander of Hezbollah Unit 4400, which was responsible for arms smuggling, Mohammed Jafar Katsir, had already been killed in the past few days.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which cites several Israeli officials briefed on the ground offensive, the Israeli military has no intention of turning the invasion into a full-scale land war in Lebanon. Officially, Israel justifies its attacks and the deployment of ground troops with the fight against the Shiite militia. Hezbollah should be driven from the border so that around 60,000 Israelis can return to their homes.
Many dead in Israeli airstrike in West Bank
The Israeli military also continued its operations in the West Bank. An Israeli warplane shelled a cafe in the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem. At least 18 people were killed, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in Ramallah. The number of injured is still unclear.
It was the first airstrike of its kind in years in the West Bank, which is illegally occupied by Israel. According to the Israeli army, the attack targeted the head of the militant Islamist Hamas in Tulkarem, Sahi Jasser Abd al-Rasegh Ufi.
The military also apparently killed the leader of the local branch of the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, Gaith Radwan, Palestinian media reported.
Israel: Fired 230 rockets from Lebanon into the north
At the same time, Israel again received massive rocket fire from Lebanon. Within one day, around 230 projectiles and several drones were counted that were fired by the Shiite militia Hezbollah into northern Israel, the Israeli army announced in the evening. The previous day the number of such attacks was 140.
In many towns in Israel, the air alarm sirens repeatedly sounded. Some of the bullets were intercepted, others fell over uninhabited areas, it was said. So far nothing is known about possible victims.
