Hamaney appeared at the Friday sermon with a Dragunov sniper rifle.

The religious leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led Friday prayers for the first time after a 4-year hiatus and took to the pulpit for a sermon. While tens of thousands gathered in Tehran to listen to Khamenei, photos of him alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel, were displayed on the main stage. International television also noted that Iranians were carrying Palestinian and Hezbollah flags.

The AFP news agency reported that religious leader Khamenei appeared at the sermon with a Dragunov SVD sniper rifle, broadcasting it to the world as 'breaking news'. In his Friday sermon, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that he would particularly address Lebanese and Palestinians, asserting that the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, which took place in Israel on October 7, 2023, was the right of the Palestinians.

"WE WILL STRIKE THE TEL AVIV ADMINISTRATION AGAIN IF NECESSARY"

The religious leader noted that Lebanese also have the right to defend Palestine, emphasizing that if Israel succeeds in Gaza and Lebanon, it will attack other countries as well. Referring to Israel's missile attacks, Khamenei stated that the attacks are 'legal and legitimate' and said they would strike the Tel Aviv administration, which he described as the rabid dog of the U.S. in the region, again if necessary.

"OUR ENEMY IS ONE"

The Iranian religious leader described the missiles hitting some military bases as the lowest level of punishment for Israel's crimes. Stating that Israel has made it a fundamental policy to sow discord among all Muslims, Khamenei said that the Tel Aviv administration is the enemy of Palestinians, Lebanese, Egyptians, Yemenis, Syrians, and Iraqis, adding, "Our enemy is one."

"I SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF A REGIONAL WAR AS REAL"

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei noted that the resistance of the Palestinians in the war that has reached its first year in the Gaza Strip has set Israel back 70 years, emphasizing that Israel cannot inflict serious damage on Hamas and Hezbollah. Messages from Khamenei, who has the final say in all of Iran's policies, were eagerly awaited. Al Jazeera reporter Rasul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, stated that the Iranian religious leader Khamenei sees the possibility of a regional war as real and therefore called on Muslims to unite in his speech.