Iranâs Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel âwill definitely be eradicatedâ in a speech Tuesday, just four days before the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group launched a massive attack on Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas Saturday after the terrorists launched a barrage of missiles on Israel and ravaged neighborhoods, killing and taking hostage civilians. Just days before at a meeting of Iranian officials and ambassadors from other Islamic countries, Khamenei had gloated that the so-called Palestinian âresistance forcesâ were prepared to destroy Israel and suggested that Israel was tottering at the edge of extinction.
âThe honorable Imam , may God be pleased with him, described the usurper regime as a cancer. This cancer will definitely be eradicated, God willing, at the hands of the Palestinian people and the resistance forces throughout the region,â Khamenei said, according to the full English translation of the speech uploaded to Khameneiâs website on Saturday, the day of the attack.
âToday, the Palestinian youth and the Palestinian movement, the anti-occupation, anti-oppression, anti-Zionism movement, is more energetic, more alive, and more prepared than ever, and you can see this. And God willing, this movement will achieve its goals,â Khamenei saidin an excerpt from the speech first posted in English on Twitter on Oct 3.Â
He issued a similar statement on Oct. 7 with a photo that appears to show cheering Palestinians atop a humvee and hashtag #AlAqsaStorm, the name Hamas gave to the large-scale operation Saturday.
Posting a video of civilians fleeing after Hamas militants attacked those at a festival taking place in the desert, Khamenei reiterated his prediction that Israel would be eliminated.
âThe Zionist regime is dying,â Khamenei said in the speech, again reposting the statement on social media Saturday.
Khamenei also appeared to take aim at ongoing reconciliation efforts between Israel and Saudi Arabia, warning that governments âgamblingâ on normal diplomatic and security relations with Israel would reap consequences.
âDefeat awaits them. They are making a mistake. As the Europeans say, âThey are betting on a losing horse,ââ he said. âToday, the situation of the Zionist regime is not a situation that encourages closeness to it. They should not make this mistake. The usurper regime is coming to an end.â
The extent of Iranâs involvement in Saturdayâs attack remains unclear, but experts have noted that the complex tactics used to execute the incursions suggest Hamas militants received training from Iranâs paramilitary organization.
An adviser to Khomenei pledged to support Hamas and other anti-Israelmilitant groups until they capture Jerusalem, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing state media.
Israeli and U.S. officials maintain they have seen no smoking gun to indicate that Iran directed the attack, although Iran has long been known to provide material support to Hamas.
The attack likely did not come as a surprise to Iran, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told Politico reporter Alex Ward.
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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporterâs byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].