Iran's top leader showed his face for the first time since fighting broke out with Israel. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attended a religious event at a Tehran mosque on Saturday. State TV cameras captured the 86-year-old leader greeting people who came to honor a important Shia Muslim date. The crowd raised their fists and shouted support for Khamenei as he stood on stage wearing black clothes. People gathered to remember Imam Hussein's death at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in central Tehran.
Khamenei had stayed out of public view since Israel launched surprise air attacks on June 13. His last appearance happened two days before those strikes when he met with parliament members. The leader only spoke through a pre-recorded video message during the 12-day conflict. Israel carried out the bombing campaign to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons. Tehran has always denied wanting to create such weapons.
The recent fighting killed more than 900 people across Iran according to court officials. Iranian forces fired back with missile attacks that hit Israeli cities. Those return strikes killed at least 28 people based on official counts. The conflict ended a long period of hidden warfare between the two countries.
Khamenei had stayed out of public view since Israel launched surprise air attacks on June 13. His last appearance happened two days before those strikes when he met with parliament members. The leader only spoke through a pre-recorded video message during the 12-day conflict. Israel carried out the bombing campaign to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons. Tehran has always denied wanting to create such weapons.
The recent fighting killed more than 900 people across Iran according to court officials. Iranian forces fired back with missile attacks that hit Israeli cities. Those return strikes killed at least 28 people based on official counts. The conflict ended a long period of hidden warfare between the two countries.
