Khamenei warns Israel and US of ‘devastating response’; Death toll in Gaza reaches 43,314

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, November 2, threatened Israel and the United States with a “crushing response” after Israel carried out retaliatory strikes on Iranian military targets last week.

“The United States of America and the Zionist regime (Israel) will definitely receive a crushing response for what they are doing against Iran and the Resistance Front,” Khamenei said.

The United States of America and the Zionist regime will definitely receive a crushing response for what they are doing against #Iran And #Resistance Front.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) November 2, 2024

He said that Iran

will do everything necessary to prepare to confront “arrogant powers, be it militarily, in terms of weapons or politically.” He added that Iranian officials are already working in this direction.

Khamenei noted that this is not only about revenge against Israel, but also about “a logical step consistent with our religion, ethics, Islamic laws and international laws (against global arrogance).”

Supreme Leader of Iran made the remarks at an event ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran by conservative students, according to a report by Al Jazeera. However, he did not specify the time of the attack, the report said.

On Friday, Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran could review its nuclear doctrine if Tehran faces an “existential threat.”

“We now have the technical capabilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons… Currently, only the Supreme Leader’s fatwa prohibits this,” Kharrazi told Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV, the Times of Israel reported.

“If Iran’s survival is seriously threatened, we reserve the right to reconsider our decision,” the Tehran Times newspaper quoted him as saying.

Hamas attacks Israel

Khamenei’s warning came after rockets fired from Lebanon wounded 11 people in central Israel, according to the country’s emergency services.

The casualties became known after one of the missiles hit a house.

As hopes for a ceasefire continue to fade, fighting between the Israeli Defense Forces and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has intensified since September this year.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had carried out a drone strike on the Palmachim airbase in southern Tel Aviv.

Lebanon’s health ministry said Friday that 52 people were killed in Israeli strikes on more than a dozen towns in the Baalbek region, which also contains UNESCO-listed Roman ruins.

Following this, the Israeli Ministry reported today that two Hezbollah commanders were killed in the Tire area on Friday. However, there was no reaction from Hezbollah to this.

Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas after the Gaza-based group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.

Israeli troops land in Lebanon

Sources told Reuters that a suspected Israeli naval commando had landed in Batroun, a coastal town in northern Lebanon. They even captured one person.

In a report on X, pro-Hezbollah journalist Hassan Illaik said a large group of Israeli soldiers landed in the resort town and captured a man before leaving on speedboats.

CCTV footage he shared showed several soldiers walking down the street, two of them holding a man.

Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh said the video was true, but did not provide any details on the matter.

The Palestinian death toll was 43,314.

Gaza’s health ministry said at least 43,314 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive since October 7 last year, and more than 1 million people have been injured.