Khamenei Declares ‘Zionist Enemy Is Being Punished’ as Iranian Missiles Hit Israeli Cities

Khamenei Declares ‘Zionist Enemy Is Being Punished’ as Iranian Missiles Hit Israeli Cities

 yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday posted on X that the “Zionist enemy is being punished now,” as Iranian missiles continued to target Israeli cities during the second week of the ongoing war. One missile struck the southern city of Be’er Sheva, damaging a building and lightly injuring seven people.

Khamenei’s post followed what appeared to be an Iranian attempt at a broader missile barrage. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), however, destroyed many ballistic missiles on the ground in Iran before they could be launched.

The attack marked the second consecutive day that Be’er Sheva—home to both Jewish and Arab residents—was struck. But the reduced scale and frequency of Iranian barrages indicate a steady degradation of Iran’s offensive capabilities amid relentless Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military targets.

Israeli forces overnight struck nuclear facilities, missile production sites, and key regime assets in Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to “destabilize” Iran’s regime with intensified attacks.

Meanwhile, an Iranian missile also struck Haifa early Friday, damaging the historic Al-Jreena Mosque and injuring several Muslim clerics who were inside preparing for Friday juma’ah prayers. The mosque, also known as Al-Nasr Mosque or the Great Mosque of Haifa, is an Ottoman-era landmark and the second oldest mosque in the city.

Iran launched between 20 and 30 missiles in three waves, according to Israel’s Army Radio. While most were intercepted, one missile reached Haifa, where Jews and Arabs live side-by-side.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the strike on the mosque as a war crime:

As Iranian attacks continue, President Donald Trump has granted the regime a two-week pause, giving diplomacy a chance before determining whether U.S. forces will strike Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear enrichment site. Trump’s post last week warned Iran that the U.S. knows exactly where Supreme Leader Khamenei is hiding: “He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Thursday that regime change in Iran remains the task of the Iranian people: “

Despite the rhetoric from Tehran, Iranian offensive capabilities are weakening under Israeli air supremacy. According to Israeli military figures, Iran has launched 450 missiles and 1,000 drones since the war began on June 13. Most have been intercepted, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds injured. Iranian losses are far heavier: at least 657 killed in Iran, including 263 civilians, and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.