Killing Hezbollah commanders will not bring the group to its knees, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, after Israel hit senior figures in the Iran-backed movement during days of devastating air strikes across Lebanon.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, September 25, 2024. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Killing Hezbollah commanders will not bring the group to its knees, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, after Israel hit senior figures in the Iran-backed movement during days of devastating air strikes across Lebanon.
"The organisational strength and human resources of Hezbollah is very strong and will not be critically hit by the killing of a senior commander, even if that is clearly a loss," Khamenei said.
Israel's new offensive against Hezbollah has killed 569 people since Monday according to Lebanon's health minister. The deadliest assault on Lebanon in nearly two decades follows nearly a year of war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
The "Palestinian and Lebanese resistance will have the final victory," Khamenei said, accusing Israel of killing civilians because it was unable to defeat its foes.
Iran has been Hezbollah's ally since the Lebanese armed group's establishment in 1982.
Khamenei blamed Washington for the escalation in Lebanon, which follows attacks last week that blew up pagers and hand-held radios distributed by Hezbollah.
Despite assertions by Washington that it did not know the Israeli plans in advance, "the U.S. both knows and interferes," Khamenei said, adding that President Joe Biden's administration "needs a victory for the Zionist regime" before a presidential election in November.
Reporting by Parisa Hafezi
Iran is expected to receive within weeks a first shipment out of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers, three sources familiar with the deal told Reuters, as it rebuilds its defences amid war with the United States.
A group of Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint with the country's top prosecutor on Wednesday requesting an investigation into banker Antoun Sehnaoui over a dinner he allegedly co-hosted in Washington that was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A drone hit a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday, citing an initial assessment of the incident.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.