Iran's Supreme Leader All But Admits Attack on Israel Was a Dud

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the number of targets struck was 'of secondary importance'

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaks in Tehran, Iran, on March 1, 2024. Khamenei downplayed the ineffectiveness of Iran's unprecedented airstrikes against Israel during remarks to top military leaders on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Iran's supreme leader downplayed the ineffectiveness of his country's unprecedented airstrikes against Israel during remarks to top military leaders on Sunday.

"Debates ... about how many missiles were fired, how many of them hit the target and how many didn't, these are of secondary importance," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to the Associated Press, which cited a broadcast on state television.

"The main issue is the emergence of the Iranian nation and Iranian military's will in an important international arena. This is what matters," he added.

Khamenei also thanked Iran's armed forces, Revolutionary Guard and police, and said that the "image of the country around the world has become commendable."

Israel has said 99% of the 300-plus missiles and attack drones Iran fired at the country on April 13 were destroyed with the help of the U.S. and other allies.

The only serious casualty was a 7-year-old Bedouin Arab girl struck by shrapnel near the desert city of Arad.

Her condition improved slightly and she began breathing on her own Saturday but remained in pediatric intensive care, according to the Times of Israel.

There was minor damage to the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, with a chunk taken out of a taxiway that was quickly repaired, AP said.

On Friday, Israel apparently launched a counterattack against the Iranian city of Isfahan, home to Iran's largest nuclear research complex.

Iran said it shot down three "mini-drones" it blamed on "infiltrators" and indicated it wouldn't retaliate against Israel.

Tehran's April 13 attack was prompted by suspected Israeli airstrikes on a consular building next to the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, on April 1 that reported killed 16 people, including two Revolutionary Guard generals.

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Iran, Ayatollah ali khamenei, Airstrikes, Israel, Military
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