Tehran denied involvement in Hamas’ recent attack on Israel, as stated by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday.
However, he applauded what he termed as Israel’s significant military and intelligence setback.
In his first televised address since the assault, Khamenei, donning a Palestinian scarf, expressed admiration for those behind the attack on Israel.
He stated, “This catastrophic event led by Hamas has inflicted irreparable damage on Israel.
The blame for this calamity lies solely with the actions of the Zionist regime.”
For years, Israel has alleged that the Iranian leadership instigates violence by arming Hamas. However, Iran, which doesn’t recognize Israel, insists that its support for Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, is primarily moral and financial.
Standing by the Palestinian cause has been central to Iran since its 1979 revolution.
This stance also underscores Iran’s aim to position itself as a foremost influencer in the Muslim world.
Despite these claims, the United States argued that Iran had a hand in Hamas’ offensive against Israel. However, they admitted to lacking concrete intelligence to substantiate this claim.
The leading U.S. general cautioned Iran on Monday against involving itself in the situation, emphasizing the need to prevent the conflict from escalating.
In a recent development, Israel declared that it had regained control over the Gaza border.
Following this, the Israeli forces began setting mines at locations where militants had previously breached the barriers during their attack.
These actions came after a series of Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip.
Khamenei warned that any assault on Gaza would invoke an even stronger backlash.
He criticized Israel’s attempts to depict itself as the victim, saying that such a strategy would backfire, leading to more significant challenges for Israel.
Reports from Israeli media sources indicate that the death toll from the Hamas-initiated attack stands at around 900, with approximately 2,600 people injured.
In contrast, Gaza’s Health Ministry has stated that Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the death of at least 687 Palestinians and injuries to 3,726 since the weekend.