Iranian president asks people to trust Iran’s leadership after Israeli attack
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian urged the Iranian people to remain unified and trust Iran’s leadership after Israel struck the nation in an unprecedented attack on Friday.
“I ask the entire nation to maintain their unity… at the same time to trust the officials,” Pezeshkian said.
“The nation needs unity… more than ever,” he added.
The president vowed to give Israel a “tough, rational and powerful response”.
Top officials from the Islamic Republic have been issuing warnings to Israel after an attack killed its top military commanders, scientists and hit its nuclear facilities.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel will face “severe punishment” while the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the attack “a declaration of war”
Meanwhile, crowds of protesters rallied in Tehran on Friday, calling for retaliation against Israeli strikes on Iran.
A woman holds a Palestinian flag and another an Iranian flag as people gather for a protest against Israel's wave of strikes on Iran in Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Friday.
Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
People gather for a protest against Israel's wave of strikes on Iran in Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Friday.
Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
People hold pictures of Major general Gholam Ali Rashid, senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as they gather for a protest against Israel's wave of strikes on Iran in Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Friday.
Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images