Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared on Saturday that the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah would not go unavenged, asserting that the battle against Israel would persist through other militants.
“Nasrallah represented not merely an individual but a philosophy and a movement that will endure,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated in a broadcast on state television, where he also announced five days of mourning across Iran.
“The blood of the martyr will indeed be avenged,” he affirmed.
Previously, following Israel’s claim of Nasrallah’s death, Ayatollah Khamenei had emphasized, “The destiny of this region lies with the resistance forces, led by Hezbollah,” as reported by state media.
Post-confirmation of Nasrallah’s death, Iranian outlets revealed that General Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, also perished in the same Israeli strikes that targeted south Beirut on Friday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attributed part of the blame for Nasrallah’s death to the United States, citing its longstanding arms support to Israel. “The Americans cannot deny their involvement with the Zionists,” Pezeshkian commented in an official release.
Additionally, Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, pledged on X that Nasrallah’s mission would continue, aiming for the “holy goal” of liberating Jerusalem.
Read: Hassan Nasrallah: The Hidden Power Behind Hezbollah
In related developments, sources told Reuters that heightened security measures had been implemented following Ayatollah Khamenei’s relocation to a secure site within Iran.
These sources also noted that Iran was actively coordinating with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other regional allies to strategize their response to Nasrallah’s assassination.
