Fearing an Israeli attack, Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei moved to the defensive

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday to “stand with the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah in whatever way they stand and … help them in confronting the evil regime (of Israel).”

After the Israeli army said it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Khamenei said: “The fate of this region will be decided by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront,” state media reported.

He has been moved to a safe place inside the country, with high security measures in place, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters.

Sources said Iran was in constant contact with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other regional proxy groups to determine the next course of action after Israel announced it had killed Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah in an attack in south Beirut on Friday.

Nasrallah was killed in a strike on Hezbollah’s military headquarters in the Lebanese capital, alongside Hezbollah’s southern front commander Ali Karaki and several senior Hezbollah members.

Khamenei in hiding: Decision after emergency meeting

On Friday, Khamenei held an emergency meeting with top advisers in Tehran The New York Times Citing Iranian sources.

A plane flies over the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 28, 2024 in Sin El Fil, Lebanon. (Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakhchi on Friday accused Israel of using several US “bunker buster” bombs to attack Beirut.

“Just this morning, the Israeli regime used several 5,000-pound bunker busters donated by the United States to attack residential areas in Beirut,” he told the UN in the Middle East. told the Security Council meeting.

And U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the Pentagon to “assess and adjust the necessary U.S. force posture” in the Middle East, according to the White House.

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“He has also directed his team to ensure that US embassies in the region take all appropriate security measures,” a statement said. The White House said Friday that Biden had been briefed on the Middle East “several times.” Vice President Kamala Harris was also briefed, an official said.



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