Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location inside the country with heightened security measures in place, two regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters.

The sources said Iran was in constant contact with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other regional proxy groups to determine the next step after Israel announced that it had killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on south Beirut on Friday (September 27, 2024).

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday (September 28, 2024) “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)“.

Mr. Khamenei, 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.