Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Threatens ‘Crushing Response’ to Israel and US Over Recent Attacks

Iran‘s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a stern warning on Saturday, threatening a “crushing response” to Israel and the United States in retaliation for recent attacks on Iranian targets. This warning came during a meeting with university students, coinciding with the upcoming 45th anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran.

Khamenei’s remarks were in response to an Israeli airstrike on October 26, which targeted military sites in Iran and resulted in the deaths of at least four Iranian servicemen. The Israeli action was itself a retaliation for an Iranian missile assault on Israel earlier in October, which Iran claimed was a response to the killings of leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as a prominent Iranian commander.

The supreme leader emphasized that the response would cover attacks on both Iran and its allies, including groups in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. “The enemies, both the USA and the Zionist regime, should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response,” Khamenei stated, referring to the broader “axis of resistance” supported by Iran.

The situation is further complicated by ongoing conflicts in the region, including Israel’s full-scale war against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and the ongoing military operation in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The World Health Organization reported that four children were among six people wounded in a strike on a polio vaccination centre in northern Gaza, highlighting the severe humanitarian crisis in the area.

The US, which is Israel’s main military supplier, has been involved in the escalating tensions. The Pentagon announced the deployment of additional military assets to the region, including destroyers, fighter units, tankers, and B-52 bombers, to deter potential Iranian actions and support its allies.

The warning from Khamenei comes just days before the US presidential election, adding to the geopolitical tensions in the region. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has also instructed his foreign ministry to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council over a recent Israeli raid in Lebanon, which resulted in the capture of a suspected Hezbollah operative.