Iran's supreme leader Khamenei praises resistance movements for fight against Israel

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has once again praised resistance groups for their conflict with Israel.

"An army that claims to be one of the strongest in the world has failed in its own country," Khamenei told thousands of supporters in Tehran on Monday.

The Gaza conflict has put the "Zionist regime on a path that will only end in decay and destruction," he added.

Khamenei made the comments during a speech to mark the 35th anniversary of the death of Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The speech was held in Khomeini's mausoleum in the south of the capital.

Separately, Iran's acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, visited Lebanon.

His predecessor Hossein Amirabdollahian, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May alongside president Ebrahim Raisi, made several trips to Beirut during the current conflict to meet leaders from the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Iran has provided financial and diplomatic backing for the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which killed 1,200 people and captured 250 hostages during the devastating October 7 attacks in Israel.

Israel responded with an ongoing invasion of Gaza which has provoked international outrage due to its massive humanitarian toll. The health authority in Gaza says more than 36,400 people have been killed in the Israeli operation.

Israel and Iran have been at odds since the 1979 revolution in Tehran brought the current mullah regime to power.

The two countries have repeatedly come close to war, with both sides launching drone and missile attacks in May.