Iran ratchets up anti-Israeli rhetoric ahead of key rally
Iran's state-funded media called for a boost in anti-Israeli militancy as the "final battle" nears, with officials in Tehran meeting Hamas visitors and throwing rants at Arab states for normalization with Israel.
"The final battle is drawing closer," read an April 28 headline in the ultraconservative Javan daily, which is run by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as the country was gearing up for state-organized anti-Israeli rallies dubbed Quds Day.
"This year's Quds Day is different," the paper wrote, citing a recent wave of deadly militancy launched by Palestinians targeting security forces and citizens well inside Israel. Javan argued that those attacks have turned armed struggle into an "objective reality," leaving Israel with the "unavoidable fate of destruction."
In August 1979, the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, named the last Friday of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan Quds Day, urging Muslims from across the world to take to the streets and turn up the heat on Israel. Ever since, the Iranian government has organized annual rallies, with slogans in support of the Palestinian struggle and fiery speeches against the Jewish state.
This year's public rallies are being held following a two-year pause imposed by the coronavirus restrictions, which left Iranian authorities with few options beyond symbolic car parades and televised and online events.
