Iran lauds arms supply to Palestinians against ‘deadly, cancerous tumor’ Israel
Netanyahu, Gantz warn Tehran • Pompeo: ‘Disgusting and hateful antisemitism’
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday denounced Israel as a “tumor” to be removed and hailed Tehran’s supply of arms to Palestinians, drawing swift condemnation from the United States, European Union and Israel.
Khamenei was speaking on Iran’s annual Quds Day, which uses the Arabic name for Jerusalem, held on the last Friday of Ramadan.
“The Zionist regime is a deadly, cancerous tumor in the region. It will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed,” Khamenei said in an online speech.
The United States and EU rejected the comments.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Twitter dismissed them as “disgusting and hateful antisemitic remarks” that did not represent the tradition of tolerance of ordinary Iranians.
EU foreign policy chief Josep
Borrell said they were “totally unacceptable and represent a deep source of concern.”
Although leaders of Palestinian terrorist groups in
Gaza, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), have frequently praised Iran’s financial and military support, Khamenei had not himself previously given public confirmation of Tehran’s weapons supply.
“Iran realized Palestinian fighters’ only problem was lack of access to weapons. With divine guidance and assistance, we planned, and the balance of power has been transformed in Palestine and today the Gaza Strip can stand against the aggression of the Zionist enemy and defeat it,” he said.
Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz said: “The State of Israel has great challenges in a variety of arenas. Khamenei’s statement that Israel is a ‘cancerous tumor’ illustrates this more than anything.”
He said on Facebook: “I do not suggest anyone to test us...