Khamenei warns Israel, says will punish the 'enemy'

Tehran, June 23: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, in his first reaction following the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, said that the punishment for Israel, referred to as the "Zionist enemy," will continue.

Calling the attacks "a big crime," Khamenei warned of retaliation.

Talking to X, he stated, "The punishment continues. The Zionist enemy has made a big mistake, committed a big crime; it must be punished, and it is being punished; it is being punished right now."

The US strikes followed Israeli attacks launched on June 13 on various targets in Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing several senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. As of Saturday, more than 400 people have been killed and over 3,500 wounded in Iran, according to the Iranian Health Ministry. In Israel, authorities reported 24 fatalities.

Late on Sunday, in the central Isfahan province, an Israeli drone strike killed three people in an ambulance, Iran's ISNA news agency reported.

The governor of Najafabad county, Hamidreza Mohammadi Fesharaki, was quoted by the agency as saying the vehicle was transporting a patient when it was hit.

He reportedly added that all occupants, including the driver, patient, and companion, were killed.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would press ahead with its operations. "Israel will continue to operate at full tilt in both Iran and Gaza," he said, vowing not to be "dragged into a war of attrition."

"We will not stop this historic operation before we achieve our goals," Netanyahu stated.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Parliament has voted in support of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints, a day after US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, according to media reports.

Any final decision on retaliation, however, will rest with the country's Supreme National Security Council, Khamenei.

The parliament vote merely advises him of the option to pursue.

The US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites -- dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer"-in Isfahan, Fordow, and Natanz mark the first direct involvement of America in the escalating crises between Iran and Israel.

The action has received backlash, with many citing the lack of Congressional approval for the military move.