Iran's Khamenei denies involvement in Hamas attack on Israel

AFP , Tuesday 10 Oct 2023

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday denied any Iranian involvement in Hamas's shock weekend attack on Israel despite its strong support for the Palestinian militant group.

Iran Khamenei
In this picture released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, attends a graduation ceremony for a group of armed forces cadets in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. AP

 

"The supporters of the Zionist regime (Israel) and some people in the usurping regime have been spreading rumours over the past two or three days, including that Islamic Iran was behind this action. They are wrong," Khamenei said in a speech at a military academy.

"Of course, we defend Palestine, we defend the struggles," he added, urging "the whole Islamic world" to "support the Palestinians."

Khamenei said Israel has suffered an "irreparable failure" on both "military and intelligence" fronts.

"Everyone has spoken of the failure, I put the emphasis on its irreparability," he said.

Iran took the lead on Saturday in celebrating the Hamas assault that left more than 900 dead.

The Israeli army said it was the single deadliest event in the nation's history, and has responded with a ferocious bombardment of Gaza where officials say at least 687 people have been killed.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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