Iran’s supreme leader emerges from bunker

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the start of the 12-day Israel-Iran war, reemerging for the Shi’ite holy day of Ashura.

His appearance on the most sacred day of the Shi’ite calendar followed a period of seclusion that had fueled speculation about his health and grip on power.

The 86-year-old Khamenei had reportedly gone into hiding amid fears he could be targeted by the Israeli Air Force.

A week before his public appearance, Khamenei released a pre-recorded video message in which he praised what he described as a “victory” over Israel and the United States.

“I find it appropriate to congratulate the great Iranian nation on its triumph over the false Zionist regime,” Khamenei declared in the video message, claiming that the Jewish state “was nearly crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.”

Khamenei also downplayed the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, asserting that Washington “gained nothing significant” and suggesting that U.S. President Donald Trump had staged the operation as a performance for the American public.

Khamenei boasted that Iran had delivered “a harsh slap” to the United States via its June 23 missile strike on an American base in Qatar. He warned that Iran would exact “a heavy price” for any future aggression, vowing, “Our country is strong and will never surrender.”

Khamenei’s return was staged during Ashura, the annual commemoration of the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 C.E. The event, which has shaped Shi’ite identity for more than 1,300 years, is marked by mass mourning ceremonies attended by hundreds of millions of Shi’ites around the world.

Ashura mourning rituals often include self-flagellation ceremonies known as tatbir, in which some Shi’ites inflict wounds upon themselves as a symbolic expression of grief.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.