Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei defends rocket fire against Israel in a rare sermon

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a rare sermon Friday that his country's ballistic missile attack on Israel earlier this week was “legal and legitimate” and that “resistance in the region will not subside even if its leaders are killed.” become”.

According to AFP, Khamenei's public address was his first during Friday prayers in Tehran in almost five years.

Khamenei said Iran will neither hesitate nor act hastily in pursuing Israel to fulfill its duty, Reuters reports.

The news agency quoted him as saying that the shelling of nearly 200 missiles fired by Iran at Israel on Tuesday was “legal and legitimate” and the minimum punishment for Israel's “crimes.”

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers and a memorial ceremony for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Tehran, Iran, on October 4. (Iranian Supreme Leader's Office/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

“The resistance in the region will not subside even if its leaders are killed,” Khamenei reportedly added, mentioning recently killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the speech.

The comments came as the Israeli Defense Forces announced on Friday that Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, the commander of Hezbollah's communications unit, was killed in an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.

“Sakafi was a senior Hezbollah terrorist who had been in charge of the communications unit since 2000,” the IDF wrote on

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Iran's missile attack on Israel this week was “legal and legitimate,” Reuters reports. (Iranian Supreme Leader's Office/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier this week that Iran's missile attack on Israel was “depressed and ineffective” and that the U.S. military coordinated with the IDF to repel the attacks.

“U.S. Navy destroyers fired interceptors alongside Israeli air defense units to shoot down incoming missiles. “President Biden and Vice President Harris monitored the attack and response from the White House Situation Room, in person and remotely accompanied by their national security team,” Sullivan said during a briefing.

Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts missiles during missile attack, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Tuesday, October 1. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)

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“This is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event, and it is equally significant that we were able to act together with Israel and create a situation where no one was killed in this attack in Israel… We will let's look at this now “What are the appropriate next steps to protect American interests first and foremost and then further promote stability to the greatest extent possible as we move forward,” he added.

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.