According to local sources, thousands of Palestinian citizens were able to reach the Aqsa Mosque despite the Israeli restrictions imposed on their entry to the Old City of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque. Police officers reportedly prevented many young men from entering the Mosque for prayers as part of the restrictions imposed on Muslim worshipers for the fifth consecutive month. On the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, the Israeli occupation police deployed barbed wire on the fence adjacent to the Aqsa Mosque in the Bab al-Asbat area in order to prevent Muslim worshipers from entering the holy site.
“The strength of the resistance disrupted the Americans’ miscalculations for this region,” Imam Ayatollah Khamenei said in a televised speech on Wednesday to mark the Persian New Year.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Ummah and oppressed Imam Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei has said that the Resistance Front has disrupted all US calculations in West Asia by unveiling the true scale of its power since the start of the war on Gaza.
“Neither the Americans, nor the Westerners, nor the countries of the region knew the power of resistance, but now they know it,” he said.
The Supreme Leader said the Israeli regime’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 31,900 Palestinians since October 7, has proven the “righteousness” of the Resistance Front against the Zionist regime.
“The formation of the Resistance Front is to face the continuous oppression of Zionist criminals,” he stated. “The Resistance Front in West Asia must be strengthened day by day.”
Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the Israeli regime is in crisis and cannot find a way out of this crisis.
He explained that the occupying regime will face defeat regardless of whether it “stays in Gaza or leaves Gaza”.
The Supreme Leader dedicated a large section of his speech to domestic issues and the economic challenges and opportunities facing the country.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemies have been seeking to bring Iran’s economy to its knees, and called on the Iranian nation to “mobilize” and tap into the country’s vast potential to help the economy thrive.
“In order for the country’s economy to flourish, all the big and small gears must be set in motion,” he said, describing the people’s participation in the economy as key to success.
The Supreme Leader considered “hope and faith” as two primary factors driving Iran’s national interests and steering the country towards a bright future.
He cautioned that the enemies have tried for years to magnify Iran’s weaknesses and make the nation lose hope in the future through their propaganda campaign.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed on the importance of maintaining “national unity”, and called on political parties and individuals with different social and political tastes to refrain from hatemongering.
The moment when Imam Khamenei entered the Imam Khomeini (ra) Hussainiyah to meet with people from various walks of life for #Nowruz meeting at the start of the year 1403 AHS, March 20, 2024. pic.twitter.com/xBw7RJPXlV
— Khamenei Media (@Khamenei_m) March 20, 2024
