News - Middle East: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei is the commander of the fight against the enemy’s psychological warfare, Iran’s culture minister says.

Abbas Salehi made the remarks in a post on his X account after Ayatollah Khamenei delivered a public sermon at the weekly Friday prayers to a huge number of worshipers gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in central Tehran.

“The initiative of the Leader of the [Islamic] Revolution in his presence in the Friday prayers showed that he is also the commander of countering the psychological warfare of the enemy,” Salehi wrote.

He said the Leader’s presence and the gathering of millions of people in the sermons were like the missiles launched by Iran in its recent retaliatory operation against Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise II.

They symbolize “dignity, glory and strength”, the minister emphasized.

The Islamic Republic launched hundreds of missiles towards the Israeli entity’s military, and espionage and intelligence bases all over the occupied Palestinian territories as part of Operation True Promise II on Tuesday.

The operation came in response to the regime’s assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, Secretary General of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Brigadier General Abbas Nilforushan, the Deputy Commander for Operations of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

Many analysts believe that the presence of the Islamic Revolution Leader in public delivers a special message to the Israeli regime.

Mohammad Ali Vakili, a former Iranian lawmaker, said that Ayatollah Khamenei demonstrated the "great courage" of a leader despite Israeli threats and media speculations.

"Even before today, on Wednesday, when the Zionist regime had tasted the bitter experience of Iran's ballistic missiles, the Leader, despite various narratives suggesting he was in a shelter, met with elites in his usual location under normal conditions, showcasing the power and bravery of a leader," he said on Friday.

In his address, Ayatollah Khamenei hailed “the brilliant work of our armed forces” in launching the missile strike on the Tel Aviv area, saying it was “completely legal and legitimate”.

“The brilliant work of our armed forces was completely legal and legitimate. What our armed forces did was the least punishment for the usurping Zionist regime over the astonishing crimes of this wolf-like regime and rabid dog of America," Sayyed Kamenai said.

Press TV