Ayatollah Khamenei Leads Rare Friday Prayers, Calls for Unity Against Israel

Tehran — In a rare public appearance, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led Friday prayers at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosallah Mosque, marking his first sermon in nearly five years. The sermon followed a significant missile strike by Iran targeting Israel, which Khamenei described as the “common enemy” of the Muslim world.

A large crowd gathered at the mosque as Khamenei urged Muslim leaders to unite against Israel, condemning the ongoing violence in Gaza and Lebanon. He reaffirmed Iran’s support for Palestinian self-determination and criticized the bloodshed caused by the conflict.

The missile attack on Israel was reportedly in retaliation for the deaths of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, both of whom were referred to as martyrs in Khamenei’s speech.

This marks Khamenei’s first public Friday sermon since January 2020, when he addressed the nation after Iran launched missiles at a U.S. military base in Iraq, in response to the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Khamenei’s appearance at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosallah mosque also brings back memories of an assassination attempt in 1985, when a suicide bomber targeted him during a Friday prayer session at Tehran University. Though the explosion killed several people, Khamenei, who was then the President of Iran, escaped unharmed.

This latest sermon comes at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East, with Khamenei reiterating Iran’s stance on Israel and calling for unity among Muslim nations.