Iran’s Supreme Leader moves to secure location

DUBAI: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location inside the country with heightened security measures in place, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters.

The sources said Iran was in constant contact with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other regional proxy groups to determine the next step after Israel announced that it had killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on south Beirut on Friday.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also called on Muslims on Saturday “to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the … wicked regime (of Israel)”.

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah confirmed dead by Israel

Khamenei, in a statement after the Israeli army said it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, said: “The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront”, state media reported.

“By the grace of god, Lebanon will make the invading, wicked, and discredited enemy regret their actions,” said Khamenei according to Reuters, adding that “the ruling terrorist gang in the Zionist regime has not learned a lesson from their criminal year-long war in Gaza.”

Khamenei called on “all the forces of resistance in the region to stand alongside and support Hezbollah.”

Hezbollah missile unit commander killed in Israeli attack

“Let the Zionist criminals know that they are far too insignificant to cause any major damage to the strong structure of Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Khamenei said.