In a rare Friday sermon delivered in Arabic, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly defended Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel, stoking fears of an expanding regional conflict.

Addressing tens of thousands of supporters at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque, Khamenei praised the resolve of Iran-aligned militant groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah and Hamas, and vowed that resistance against Israel would continue unabated.

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Khamenei condemned the recent Israeli killings of militant leaders, asserting that these “martyrdoms” would only strengthen the so-called “axis of resistance” led by Iran.

“The resistance in the region will not back down,” Khamenei said, hailing the actions of armed groups as “logical and legitimate.”

This sermon, Khamenei’s first in nearly five years, took place amid a dramatic escalation of violence in the region.

Tensions soared after Israel’s recent assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan in southern Beirut, as well as a previous attack that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Iran responded with a salvo of missiles against Israel earlier this week, marking only the second time it has directly targeted the U.S.-backed country.

“What our armed forces did was the minimum punishment for the crimes of the usurping Zionist regime,” Khamenei declared, referring to the missile strikes.

He dismissed criticism of the attacks and accused Israel of being a “malicious regime” propped up solely by American support. “It will not last long,” he predicted.

The sermon also commemorated the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

Khamenei reiterated Tehran’s support for Hamas, calling their assault “logical and legal.” While Iran denies direct involvement in the Gaza conflict, it has been a key backer of Palestinian groups opposed to Israel since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Tensions between Iran and Israel have been simmering for years, with several proxy battles erupting across the region.

In April, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel following an Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus.

The latest round of missile fire, however, underscores the escalating hostilities as the region teeters on the brink of wider war.

Despite Israel’s claim that its defense systems intercepted most of the missiles, the attacks represent a significant escalation in Iran’s direct military involvement.

Khamenei’s defiant rhetoric signals a continued hardening of Iran’s stance toward Israel and its allies, further entrenching the polarized dynamics in the region. As armed groups aligned with Tehran remain steadfast, the risk of broader conflict grows with each retaliatory strike.

A devastating fire at a hospital in southern Taiwan claimed the lives of nine people on Thursday, as emergency responders worked to control the blaze amid challenging weather conditions brought by Typhoon Krathon.

The fire erupted at a hospital in Pingtung County around 7:40 a.m., according to Taiwan’s Fire Department.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames shortly after 1 p.m. Eight victims, evacuated for treatment, were later confirmed dead. Authorities found a ninth victim at the scene after the fire was contained.

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The blaze coincided with Typhoon Krathon’s landfall in Taiwan’s south, although officials have not connected the fire to the storm.

The typhoon’s strong winds and heavy rainfall led to widespread disruptions, forcing schools and businesses to remain closed for a second day.

The storm has also left two people dead and more than 100 others injured.

Investigations into the cause of the hospital fire are ongoing as Taiwan contends with the storm’s aftermath and the tragedy at the hospital.

The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that seven of its soldiers were killed during intense clashes with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

The deaths occurred amid ongoing ground operations that Israel initiated three days ago, targeting Hezbollah positions in the region.

The ground raids come after weeks of airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

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The air campaign has resulted in over 1,000 deaths and displaced roughly 1 million people, according to Lebanese authorities.

The escalation between Israel and Hezbollah follows a year of heightened tensions after Israel’s conflict with Hamas erupted in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack.

Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, began launching rockets into northern Israel shortly after the conflict in Gaza began, intensifying hostilities along the Lebanese-Israeli border.