Iran's Khamenei urges Islamic world to "arm Palestinians"

Iran's Khamenei urges Islamic world to "arm Palestinians"

In a speech marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, Khamenei said Israel was acting like a "rabid dog" and "a wild wolf" in acts that are causing a human catastrophe and which must be resisted.

"A people surrounded in a small place with closed borders, unsure of having water and electricity, this population faces an armed enemy.The people resist unabated. This is a lesson for all," he said.

He spoke of the three weeks of fighting in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 1,100 Palestinians and 53 Israelis, the agency reported.

Khamenei "dismissed talk of a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it was a ploy by the United States and European states to save Israel and said Hamas should be re-armed, rather than disarmed as otherwise they will be unable to defend themselves," AFP reported.