An adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday congratulated Palestinian fighters for launching the biggest attack on Israel in years, the semi-official ISNA news site reported.
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"We congratulate the Palestinian fighters," it quoted Rahim Safavi as saying. "We will stand by the Palestinian fighters until the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem."
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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
(Photo: EPA / IRAN SUPREME LEADER OFFICE)
In a surprise assault, terrorist group Hamas crossed into several Israeli towns on Saturday with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
ISNA later quoted an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson as saying that Hamas attacks were proof of the Palestinians' increased confidence in the face of Israel.
"In this operation, the element of surprise and other combined methods were used, which show the Palestinian people's confidence in the face of the occupiers," ISNA quoted ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani as telling the agency in an interview.
Iran's state television showed parliament members rising from their seats on Saturday to chant "Death to Israel" and "Palestine is victorious, Israel will be destroyed".
Tehran, a benefactor of Hamas, has been agitating in both Gaza and the West Bank, encouraging Palestinians to initiate conflict with Israel in an effort to inflame tensions and provoke a clash between Israel and terrorist organizations. Iran's announcement followed a message from Lebanon's Hezbollah organization, an Iranian affiliate, congratulating Hamas on the attack.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah said it was in "direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance". It described events as a "decisive response to Israel's continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalization with Israel," hinting at Saudi Arabia which has been contemplating such a move as part of a defense pact with the United States.
Western nations issued a slew of condemnations regarding the lethal surprise attack, extending robust support for Israel's right to self-defense, with notably staunch announcements from the Italian and British governments.
The European Union also affirmed its backing of Israel's defense right to self-defense. In an X post, the EU's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell conveyed the continental bloc's vehement condemnation of the Hamas attack, stating, "We follow with anguish the news coming from #Israel. We unequivocally condemn the attacks by Hamas. This horrific violence must stop immediately. Terrorism and violence solve nothing. The EU expresses its solidarity with Israel in these difficult moments."
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Israel Stephanie Hallett, posted "Sickened by the images coming out of southern Israel of dead and wounded civilians at the hands of terrorists from Gaza. The United States stands with Israel."