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Last update - 12:13 02/10/2008
VIDEO / Iran supreme leader: Israel is on a path to destruction
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Tags: Israel News, Hamas, Iran 

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said his country will stand beside Gaza's Hamas rulers and that Israel is on the path to eventual destruction.

According to Iranian state-run TV, Khamenei called Hamas' prime minister in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, a "mojahed," or soldier of holy war, saying the Iranian nation will "never let you be alone."

It also quoted him as saying Israel's Zionist regime is moving toward weakness, destruction and defeat and that the current generation of Palestinians will see "that great day."
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Khamenei, who was speaking at prayers marking the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday, has predicted Israel's downfall in the past, like Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Khamenei has repeatedly called Israel a cancerous tumor that need to be removed from the Middle East.

Israel's ambassador to the U.S. Sallai Meridor issued a statement in response, saying "not since World War II has the world faced such a dangerous and significant threat. The fanatical Iranian regime, a sponsor of global terror, is threatening the elimination of another state and is striving to achieve a nuclear weapon.

"This should be a moment of truth for the world to take immediate actions to prevent this regime from pursuing the development of a military nuclear capability," the statement continued.

"In these days of reflection between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur," Meridor went on to say, "the writing on the wall from Iran presents each and everyone with the question 'what more can I do in this coming year to prevent this nightmare from becoming a reality?'"

Iran doesn't recognize Israel and backs the Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Israel had close ties with Iran when the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was in power. When the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the shah, Iran broke ties with Israel and turned the Israeli embassy in Tehran into the Palestinian Authority embassy.

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      1.   here comes GREATER IRAN in case anyone cares 15:00  |  Avi 01/10/08
      2.   To those who were sure the Iranian President was unpopular 15:04  |  Avi 01/10/08
      3.   Khamenei is right 15:04  |  Brod 01/10/08
      4.   FOR the Islamofascist apology indusrtry.Not "just" Ahmadinejad 15:06  |  PETER SM 01/10/08
      5.   Turkish captivity and the former caliphate 15:33  |  Anonymous 01/10/08
      6.   Iran oligarchy afraid of true engagement 15:57  |  James 01/10/08
      7.   Iran`s supreme leader Oops!!! 16:02  |  Yosemite 01/10/08
      8.   Khamenei`s words are comming from opium! 16:10  |  Farhad 01/10/08
      9.   Fall and Unfall 16:18  |  Pierre Palestinian 01/10/08
      10.   annoying web tactics 16:33  |  steve gerson 01/10/08
      11.   the Iranian leaders by now suffer from the "prophesying Israel`s 16:38  |  ivo 01/10/08
      12.   Holy warrior is a holy killer 16:51  |  x-ray 01/10/08
      13.   Also, Post-Soviet Freedom 17:03  |  Anonymous 01/10/08
      14.   blahblah blah blah blah 17:09  |  Paul Freedman 01/10/08
      15.   This Guy is The Boss. Take Him Out, End of Problem! 17:15  |  MIKE 01/10/08
      16.   Terrorist rant 17:53  |  Mike 01/10/08
      17.   Shiit Supporting Sunni Untill ... 17:58  |  GA 01/10/08
      18.   Iran`s Supreme Leader or Spiritually Corrupt Subprime Lender? 18:07  |  Lavi 01/10/08
      19.   Anonymous from Chicago IL 18:21  |  David Israel 01/10/08
      20.   3 Brod - Hardly Possible 18:48  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/10/08
      21.   You are weakining! 19:03  |  Rigma 01/10/08
      22.   Iran sponsors the world`s most vicious terrorist groups, ... 19:33  |  Jean Van Daem 01/10/08
      23.   To David Israel, the article I read is: 19:33  |  Anonymous 01/10/08
      24.   Mark #20 19:43  |  Brod 01/10/08
      25.   Anonymous - Thanks I found it 20:31  |  David Israel 01/10/08
      26.   M. of Lewiston #20: reg. the Israeli system - 20:54  |  ivo 01/10/08
      27.   phony religion of god 21:35  |  real vision 01/10/08
      28.   you are feeling sleepy 21:43  |  H 01/10/08
      29.   Pierre Palestinian 22:24  |  Philippe 01/10/08
      30.   "holy war" 23:07  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/10/08
      31.   Phillipe 23:11  |  Pierre Palestinian 01/10/08
      32.   Good news finally. Iran loves Haniyeh. 23:42  |  Stephen. 01/10/08
      33.   How do they call him holiness???? 23:47  |  Al 01/10/08
      34.   The war of words begins AGAIN! 00:03  |  Tired 02/10/08
      35.   Focus on regime change 00:40  |  Pepe 02/10/08
      36.   Our tendency is to become complacent... 01:14  |  don muntean 02/10/08
      37.   Pierre palestinian 01:16  |  Philippe 02/10/08
      38.   Cipora Julianna Kohn 01:46  |  TonyL 02/10/08
      39.   Well I guess if that smelly ayatollah says so it MUST be 03:59  |  Conroy 02/10/08
      40.   Who cares what this pathetic old man with dementia has to say! 04:03  |  Jane 02/10/08
      41.   The Ayatollah 05:15  |  Jim 02/10/08
      42.   #2 Avi 05:19  |  Jim 02/10/08
      43.   #4 Peter SM 05:27  |  Jim 02/10/08
      44.   When was the last time this man took a bath? 05:41  |  Jane 02/10/08
      45.   Lavi, I have grown to like your poetry. Come on baby, let`s... 06:51  |  ManintheMiddle 02/10/08
      46.   #20 Mark of Lewiston 07:11  |  Jim 02/10/08
      47.   #22 Jean Van Daem 07:21  |  Jim 02/10/08
      48.   #28 H 07:32  |  Jim 02/10/08
      49.   Someone should stuff his cloth in his mouth! 08:25  |  Yuri 02/10/08
      50.   Not so my friend 08:25  |  Shimon Cleopas 02/10/08
      51.   The Supreme Lemming Has Spoken! 08:29  |  Yosemite 02/10/08
      52.   No Wonder! 08:30  |  Yosemite 02/10/08
      53.   The Ayatollah gave Palestine its kiss of Death. 08:51  |  Akram Zekaria 02/10/08
      54.   Cipora Julianna Kohn-#30-holly war 08:58  |  Daniel Leopold 02/10/08
      55.   Israeli policies gave Iran a lot of leverage 09:02  |  gus 02/10/08
      56.   Israel chose expansion over peace 09:07  |  Natallie Durson 02/10/08
      57.   #40 Jane 09:11  |  MR 02/10/08
      58.   GUS It was the Arabs not Israel that rejected peace All together 09:50  |  PETER SM 02/10/08
      59.   #54 to gus 09:58  |  Hastaroth 02/10/08
      60.   NASTALI E Israel chose expansion AFTER Arabs rejected peace. 10:05  |  PETER SM 02/10/08
      61.   Pathetic as usual 10:31  |  ScotGuy 02/10/08
      62.   Don`t worry, Mr. Khameini, if the "right-wingers" in Israel.... 10:40  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/10/08
      63.   It is getting very boring 10:57  |  tristan 02/10/08
      64.