Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei assured Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem of unwavering support for resistance against the US and Israel, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
In a message, Khamenei thanked Qassem for condolences over the "martyrdom" of his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on Tehran on February 28. He hailed his father's steadfastness against the Muslim world's "stubborn enemies"—the US and Israel—and praised Hezbollah's late leaders for their bravery and sacrifices.
Khamenei expressed confidence in Qassem's ability to counter Israeli plans and restore prosperity to Lebanon. Iran's Assembly of Experts named him supreme leader on March 8.
Tensions rose as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed ballistic missile strikes on an Israeli container ship in the Persian Gulf, alongside drone attacks on Israeli-linked communication and industrial sites, per Tasnim news agency. The IRGC warned US tech firms accused of "terrorist espionage" and urged evacuations.
Iran also executed two Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO) members for terror plots in Tehran, while Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi dismissed reports of missiles fired at Türkiye as "baseless."
(Inputs from IANS)