Iran International:

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led Tehran’s Friday prayers for the first time in five years, delivering a sermon in Persian and Arabic where he reiterated his support for Arab groups fighting Israel.

The speech came amid fears of an imminent Israeli retaliation against Iran following the October 1 large missile attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic.

Khamenei began with calling for unity among Muslim nations and the need to defend Palestinians and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He maintained that Hamas and Hezbollah have a legal right to fight Israel, stating, "Every people have the right to defend their land, homes, country, and interests against aggressors."

“We have to tighten the belt of defense, ... from Afghanistan to Yemen, Iran to Gaza and Lebanon, in all Islamic countries. That’s the first issue I wanted to discuss,” Khamenei told the crowd.

The appearance of the 85-year-old cleric drew a larger crowd, which commemorated late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The second part of Khamenei's sermon in Arabic was meant to rally Islamic Republic's allies in the region.

Go to link