Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated on Tuesday, October 10 that Tehran was not involved in the weekend attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas, but praised Israel’s “irreparable” military and intelligence defeat.
For years, Israel has accused Iran of inciting violence by supplying arms to Hamas. Tehran, which does not recognize Israel, claims to provide moral and financial support to the group that controls Gaza.
Supporting the Palestinian cause has been a pillar of Iran’s foreign policy since the 1979 revolution, and it is one of the ways the Shi’ite-dominated country has established itself as a Muslim world leader.
“We kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime,” said Khamenei, who was wearing a Palestinian scarf, in his first televised speech since the attack.
“This destructive earthquake (Hamas’ attack) has destroyed some critical structures (in Israel) which will not be repaired easily … The Zionist regime’s own actions are to blame for this disaster,” said Khamenei on Tuesday.
The US said on Monday that Iran was complicit in Hamas’ attack on Israel, but that it had no intelligence or evidence to back up this claim.
The top US general warned Iran on Monday not to get involved in the crisis, saying he did not want the conflict to escalate.
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After another night of relentless Israeli air raids on the enclave, Israel said earlier on Tuesday that it had re-established control of the Gaza border and was planting mines where militants had toppled the barrier during their bloody weekend assault.
Khamenei said an attack on Gaza would “unleash a much heavier torrent of anger.”
“The occupying regime seeks to portray itself as a victim to escalate its crimes further … this is a misguided calculation … It will result in even greater disaster,” Khamenei said.
The death toll from the Hamas attack had risen to 900 as of press time, with at least 2,600 people injured. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 687 Palestinians have been killed and 3,726 have been injured in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday.