'Divine wrath' if Iran backs down amid Israel tensions: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned his country that backing down from retaliation against Israel could invite ‘divine wrath’, NDTV reported.

Ali Khamenei’s response comes amid tensions between both countries after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas last month.

Ismail Haniyeh was killed during an official visit to Te hran.

The 86-year-old asserted that the retreat be it military, political or economic would invite severe divine punishment.

Iran earlier attributed Haniyeh's death to Israeli intelligence placing itself in a difficult position as the country is thinking over the timing and nature of its military response.

‘Governments that yield to the demands of today's dominant powers, regardless of their nation's size or strength, can defy these pressures if they draw on the strength of their people and accurately assess their adversaries' true capabilities,’ Iran International quoted Khamenei as saying.

Citing the example of US, British, Ali Khamenei questioned the tendency to ‘exaggerate’ the power of enemies.

However, Iran has stepped back from trying an immediate retaliation, which analysts consider as a ‘strategic pause’.

However, dismissing the west’s call for restraint, the Foreign Ministry came down on Western nations for their ‘double standards’.

Iran accused these nations of turning a blind eye to what it said Israel’s "genocidal" actions in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian, publicly supported Khamenei's hardline stance.