Iranian supreme leader warns US, Israel of ‘crushing response’

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday issued a stern warning to both the US and Israel, pledging a "crushing response" for actions against his country.

“The enemies – whether the Zionist entity or the United States – should know that they will certainly face a crushing response for their actions against Iran, its people, and the resistance front,” Khamenei said in a speech in the capital Tehran.

“We will take all necessary actions – whether military, arms, or political measures – to confront arrogance,” Khamenei added.

On Oct. 26, the Israeli army reported a four-hour-long attack on Iran. Iran claimed it successfully repelled the “Zionist entity’s attempts to strike certain points in Tehran and other regions,” though the assault resulted in the deaths of four Iranian soldiers, according to the Iranian military.

This Israeli attack followed an earlier Iranian retaliation on Oct. 1, when Iran launched over 180 rockets at Israel, an operation Tehran described as “revenge” for the assassinations of Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara