Iran’s supreme leader declares victory over Israel in latest address

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared “victory” over Israel, marking his third televised address to the nation since the onset of the recent conflict between the two countries.

In a statement broadcast by Iran's state-affiliated NourNews agency, Khamenei congratulated the Iranian people and praised the country's military response against what he referred to as the “Zionist regime,” Caliber.Az reports.

"I would like to congratulate the great Iranian nation. Congratulations on the victory over the Zionist regime. Despite all this noise, despite all these statements, the Zionist regime was almost crushed by the strikes of the Islamic Republic," Khamenei stated.

His remarks follow days of heightened tensions and retaliatory exchanges between Iran and Israel, as both sides accuse the other of escalating aggression.

Iran's supreme leader has not been seen for over a week - he last gave a televised statement from an undisclosed location on June 18.

Earlier today, Israeli media was heavily questioning the whereabouts of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

By Vafa Guliyeva