Tehran, June 23
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, in his first reaction following the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, said that the punishment for Israel, referred to as the "Zionist enemy," will continue.
Calling the attacks "a big crime," Khamenei warned of retaliation.
Talking to X, he stated, "The punishment continues. The Zionist enemy has made a big mistake, committed a big crime; it must be punished, and it is being punished; it is being punished right now."
The US strikes followed Israeli attacks launched on June 13 on various targets in Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing several senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, news agency reported.
Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. As of Saturday, more than 400 people have been killed and over 3,500 wounded in Iran, according to the Iranian Health Ministry. In Israel, authorities reported 24 fatalities.
Late on Sunday, in the central Isfahan province, an Israeli drone strike killed three people in an ambulance, Iran's news agency reported.
The governor of Najafabad county, Hamidreza Mohammadi Fesharaki, was quoted by the agency as saying the vehicle was transporting a patient when it was hit.
He reportedly added that all occupants, including the driver, patient, and companion, were killed.