Iran's Khamenei vows response to attacks on Tehran, allies

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday vowed to retaliate against attacks by Israel and its ally the US targeting Tehran and groups it supports in the region.

"The enemies ... should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing against Iran, the Iranian nation, and the resistance front," Khamenei said in a speech to students in Tehran.

He was referring to the alliance of Tehran-backed armed groups that include the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah movement in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Regional tensions have soared since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, drawing in those Iran-aligned groups and others from Iraq and Syria.

Hezbollah and Israel exchanged cross-border fire for nearly a year after Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

On October 26, Israel conducted air strikes on military sites in Iran in response to Tehran's October 1 attack on Israel, itself a retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

At least four soldiers were killed in the attack which Iran said caused "limited damage" to a few radar systems. Iranian media said a civilian was also killed.

In his speech, Khamenei paid tribute to the slain soldiers, saying their efforts in confronting Israel "will not be forgotten".

Israel has warned Iran against responding to the October 26 attack.

The US announced Friday the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, including ballistic missile defence destroyers and long-range B-52 bomber aircraft, serving as a warning to Iran.

Khamenei said Iran was "certainly doing everything that should be done to prepare the Iranian nation, whether in terms of military, in terms of weapons, or in terms of political work", without elaborating.