Appears at Shia Religious Event
Dismisses "Rumors of Hiding"
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, appeared at a Shia religious event held in Tehran. This was his first public appearance since last month's armed conflict with Israel.
According to major foreign media outlets on the 5th (local time), Iran's state television reported that Ayatollah Khamenei attended the event wearing traditional black attire, waving to the crowd and nodding his head.
The event was held on the day of mourning, one day before 'Ashura,' one of the most significant Shia religious ceremonies. It commemorates Imam Hussein, who was martyred in the Battle of Karbala in the 7th century. Footage aired by state television also showed the crowd raising their fists and chanting, "The blood of loyalty to our leader runs in our veins."
The ceremony took place at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in downtown Tehran, and was reportedly attended by numerous high-ranking officials from both the political and government sectors, including the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament.
Khamenei has been in power as Iran's Supreme Leader for 36 years. Last week, he appeared only via a pre-recorded video, and, in particular, he had not appeared at any official events for more than 20 days since the Israeli airstrike on the 13th of last month, leading to speculation that he was in hiding.
Some Western media outlets also reported that Khamenei had moved to an underground facility due to concerns for his personal safety.
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