Israel and Iran's long-simmering tensions erupted into missile attacks last Friday, when Israel launched a suprise attack against military and nuclear targets in Iran and wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command.

In a first television address to the nation after the latest conflict, Khamenei said, "We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy."

Iran’s allies, the self-described “Axis of Resistance,” have been severely hurt by ongoing Israeli attacks since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, particularly Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran has long used those groups as both an asymmetrical way to attack Israel and as a shield against a direct assault.