Iran's Supreme Leader says his country 'displayed power' in attack on Israel

ITV News correspondent Lucy Watson reports from Jerusalem

Iran’s Supreme Leader has spoken for the first time since his country's major rocket attack on Israel.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to acknowledge that barely any missiles fired last weekend hit their target, but praised the country’s armed forces, saying they "displayed power" to the world.

In a meeting with senior Iranian military leaders on Sunday, Khamenei said the military showed “success" a week after the country’s first-ever direct attack on Israel from its own territory.

Khamenei, 85, made the comments in a meeting attended by the top ranks of Iran's regular military, police and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, a powerful force within its Shiite theocracy.

“Debates by the other party about how many missiles were fired, how many of them hit the target and how many didn’t, these are of secondary importance," Khamenei said in remarks aired by 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.”

Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles that sought to overwhelm Israel's air defences in the 13 April attack — the first on Israel by a foreign power since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched Scud missiles at Israel in the 1991 Gulf War.

However, Israeli air defences and fighter jets, backed by the U.S, the United Kingdom and neighbouring Jordan, shot down the vast majority of the incoming fire.

Satellite images analysed on Saturday showed the Iranian attack caused only minor damage at the Nevatim air base in southern Israel, including taking a chunk out of a taxiway that Israel quickly repaired.

Ariel Heimann, a former Israel Defence Force general, thinks the attack was one battle too many.

"We have our internal problems and our hostages and we have to decide what is more important", he told ITV News.

Iran's attack came in response to a suspected Israeli strike on 1 April, targeting a consular building next to the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, which killed two Guard generals and others.

“Today, thanks to the work done by our armed forces, the Revolutionary Guard, the army, the police, each in its own way, praise be to Allah the image of the country around the world has become commendable," added Khamenei, despite Iran facing public anger over its economy and crackdowns on dissent.

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