Iran’s Supreme Leader escalated his rhetoric, warning of a “crushing response” to the country’s enemies – including the US – following Israel’s missile strike on the country a week ago.
“Enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States, will undoubtedly receive a crushing response for their actions against Iran and the Resistance Front,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech in Tehran on Saturday, state television reported.
Without offering more detail, Khamenei said hostile actions against the Islamic Republic “wouldn’t be forgotten.”
It was a possible reference to Israel’s Oct. 26 attack on military targets across Iran that killed five people, including a civilian. Israeli defense forces struck with more than 100 fighter jets, although there was no confirmation of major damage to oil or nuclear facilities.
Read more: Israel Strikes Targets Across Iran, Expanding Their Conflict
Saturday’s remarks marked a shift from Khamenei’s more measured tone shortly after Israel’s strike, which he characterized as a “miscalculation.” At the time he cautioned against exaggerating or underestimating the significance of the attack, without any explicit threat of retaliation.