Iran Vows Retaliation for Hezbollah Leader's Death, Intensifies Security

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah would be avenged. He declared Nasrallah’s path and school of thought would continue, vowing five days of mourning. Iranian President Pezeshkian blamed the U.S. partially for Nasrallah's death, as Iran heightened security measures.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated on Saturday that the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah would be avenged and that his path in fighting Israel would be carried on by other militants.

"Nasrallah was not just an individual. He was a path and a school of thought, and that path will continue," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a statement read on state television, declaring five days of mourning in Iran. "The martyr's blood shall not go unavenged," he asserted.

Earlier, Khamenei, reacting to the Israeli army's announcement of Nasrallah's death, said: "The region's fate will be decided by resistance forces, with Hezbollah at the forefront," state media reported. Following Hezbollah confirming the death, Iranian media reported General Abbas Nilforoushan of Iran's Revolutionary Guards also died in the Israeli strikes in south Beirut. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian partly blamed the United States for Nasrallah's death, citing its long-standing military support to Israel.

"The Americans cannot deny their complicity with the Zionists," Pezeshkian said, according to state media. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani vowed in a post on X that Nasrallah's "path will continue and his holy goal will be pursued towards the liberation of Jerusalem".

Meanwhile, two regional officials told Reuters that Khamenei had been moved to a secure location, with increased security measures. Iran is in constant communication with Lebanon's Hezbollah and other regional proxies to decide the next steps after Nasrallah's killing.

(With inputs from agencies.)