Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls on Muslims to confront Israel

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday "to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the ... wicked regime (of Israel)".

Ayatollah, in a statement after the Israeli army said it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, said: "The fate of this region will be determined by the forces of resistance, with Hezbollah at the forefront," state media reported.

After Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah's death, Iranian media reported that General Abbas Nilforoushan, a deputy commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, had died "next to Hassan" in the Israeli strikes on south Beirut on Friday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed Hassan's killing partly on the United States which has long supplied Israel with advanced weapons.

"The Americans cannot deny their complicity with the Zionists," Masoud said in a statement carried by state media.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani vowed in a post on X that Hassan's "path will be continued and his holy goal will be realised in the liberation of Jerusalem".

Meanwhile, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters that Ayatollah has been transferred to a secure location inside the country with heightened security measures in place.

The sources said Iran was in constant contact with Lebanon's Hezbollah and other regional proxy groups to determine the next step after the killing of Hassan.

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