Senior cleric Ahmad Khatami has justified attacks by the militant group against Israel as a legitimate form of defense, speaking in a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran.

Khatami claimed such action aligns with the teachings of the Quran, saying: "May God bless your hands! Strike Israel because your striking is worship."

The sermon comes as tensions in the Middle East escalate amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict, which began two months ago.

Iranian authorities have been issuing a series of inflammatory statements in recent weeks, warning both Israel and its ally, the United States, of the response should attacks on Gaza persist.

The Friday prayer leader in Mashhad, Ahmad Alamolhoda, echoed the words of his counterpart in Tehran, saying: "Fortunately, today the resistance movement has encompassed the majority of the region, and we witnessed the resistance's attacks on Israel during the Gaza war."

Commenting on the global impact of the “Al-Aqsa storm”, as the October 7 massacre by Hamas of around 1,200 Israelis has been dubbed, Alamoldha said: "Today, the whole world realized that America is a child killer and a devil regime."

Alamolhoda holds a significant position as the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's representative in Mashhad, a city of high Shiite importance. He is also the father-in-law of President Ebrahim Raisi, who assumed office in 2021 after being handpicked by Khamenei in a tightly controlled electoral process.