Iran’s supreme leader threatens US amid elections, vows ’crushing response’ to Israeli attack

By Prerna Sharma On Nov 4, 2024 Share with new partner:

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, threatened Israel and the United States on Saturday with “a crushing response” for strikes on Iran and its supporters amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, according to AP. Iran’s supreme leader made the statement as Iranian officials increased their threats to attack Israel again following the 26 October attack on the Islamic Republic, which killed at least five people and attacked military bases and other targets.

Overall, any additional assaults by either side could turn the Middle East into a larger regional conflict in the run-up to the US presidential election on November 8. Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip are already threatening to topple the region.

In a video aired by Iranian state media, Khamenei was cited by AP as stating, “The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front.” However, neither the date nor the extent of the strike were explained by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to the story, the 85-year-old Khamenei had previously taken a more circumspect stance, stating that officials will consider Iran’s reaction and that Israel’s attack “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed.” Several barrages were fired from Lebanon early in the day, including the predawn hit on Tira, which came after air raid sirens sounded throughout central Israel. While some of the projectiles fell into uninhabited regions, many were intercepted by Israeli air defenses.

In the largely Israeli Arab village of Tira, a direct strike on a structure resulted in 11 injuries from glass shards and shrapnel, according to the Magen David Adom emergency service. The rest sustained less severe injuries, and three were in moderate condition. The Israeli military has not acknowledged that either base was attacked or targeted.