From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Iran’s Khamenei threatens Israel: ‘The battle begins’
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei posts an apparent threat to Israel on social media, saying, “The battle begins.”
“Ali returns to Khaybar,” the post says, according to a translation by the Iran International news outlet. The statement is a reference to the first imam of Shia Islam and his conquest of the Jewish town of Khaybar in the 7th century.
The post includes an image a man holding a sword entering a castle-like gate, with fiery streaks in the sky overhead.
به نام نامی #حیدر، نبرد آغاز میگردد
علی با ذوالفقار خود، به #خیبر باز میگردد#الله_اکبر pic.twitter.com/yGYrXUDGoK— KHAMENEI.IR | فارسی ???????? (@Khamenei_fa) June 17, 2025
The statement is Khamenei’s first public post since US President Donald Trump on social media demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender and said that the US was holding off on assassinating Khamenei “for now.”
The Times of Israel Community.