Leader Pledges ‘Bitter, Painful Fate’ for Zionist Regime Following Strikes on Iran
What follows is the full text of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s message:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
To the great nation of Iran!
At dawn today, the Zionist regime committed a crime on our beloved soil, revealing its vile and bloodstained hand. By targeting residential areas, it has once again laid bare its wicked nature more than ever before. This regime must now await a harsh punishment.
With God's permission, the powerful hand of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic will not let it go unpunished. In the enemy’s attacks, a number of our commanders and scientists were martyred. Their successors and colleagues will, God willing, immediately carry on their duties.
With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself — and it will undoubtedly face it.
Seyyed Ali Khamenei
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Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces issued its first statement following the Israeli strikes:
“Following the criminal and reckless attack by the Zionist regime at dawn on Friday, June 13, targeting parts of the country — including both civilian and military areas — a number of our dear compatriots, including women, children, and several commanders of the Armed Forces, were sadly martyred or wounded,” it said.
The body noted that “this blatant and heinous act of aggression by the malicious Zionist enemy, is in clear violation of all international norms and principles.”
It assured the Iranians that “the response of your soldiers in the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the planners, perpetrators, and supporters of this cowardly act will be decisive, crushing, and regret-inducing.”
The Israeli regime confirmed it carried out attacks inside Iran.
Explosions were reported in various cities, with footage and photos circulating on social media showing damaged houses and emergency response efforts. While official casualty numbers have not yet been released, concerns are growing over the potential for high civilian impact.
A number of senior Iranian military commanders including Major General Hossein Salami, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been assassinated in the attacks.
