IRAN'S supreme leader issued a chilling message four days before Hamas brutally murdered 1,400 Israeli men, women, and children.
The head of state of Iran and commander-in-chief of its armed forces, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said: "The Zionist regime is dying."
An Iranian state-run account shared the post along with a Palestinian flag icon.
In the post on X, formerly Twitter, on October 3, Khamenei added: "The usurper regime is coming to an end.
"Today, the Palestinian youth and the anti-oppression, anti-occupation movement in Palestine is more energetic, more alive, and more prepared than ever during the past 70 or 80 years.
"God willing, the movement will achieve its goals."
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Four days later, on October 7, Palestinian militant group Hamas unleashed its terror on Israel in a "surprise" attack during a Jewish holiday.
Some 260 bodies were discovered at a music festival in Israel after Hamas terrorists cut the power and opened fire on civilians.
Tensions in the Middle East have since soared with the "second stage" of war commencing this weekend in Gaza.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip says more than 8,000 people have died since Israel began its retaliation against the terrorist group.
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Khamenei reposted his earlier message about the Palestinian movement being "more prepared than it has ever been" the day the conflict began on October 7.
There is now mounting evidence that Tehran may have been directly involved in the planning and execution of the attack.
Iran denies playing a role in the massacre but has previously called it "fiercely autonomous and unwaveringly aligned with the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people".
It is Hamas' main sponsor, and has been for many years, helping to arm and train its terrorists with support to the tune of $70million (£58million) a year, according to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The US has accused Iran of being "complicit in a broad sense" in Hamas' initial attack on Israel.
A Whitehall source told The Sunday Times the deadly operation had "the fingerprints" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said after the massacre: "We've said since the beginning that Iran is complicit in a broad sense because they have provided the lion's share of the funding for the military wing of Hamas.
"They've provided training, they have provided capabilities, they have provided support and they've had engagement and contact with Hamas over years and years, and all of that has played a role in contributing to what we have seen."
Neither the US nor any other government has publicly pinned the blame on Tehran – but some analysts believe this to be a tactical decision by the West to avoid triggering a full-blown war.
The Israel Defence Forces' Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said Iran continues to help Hamas with intelligence even now.
There are fears Iran-backed militias will unite and invade Israel after a sinister message appeared on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
A chilling mural of terrorist groups including Hamas and Hezbollah was this week painted on the Lebanese side of the wall.
It comes as Iran stages a massive war games with 200 helicopters and missile launchers dubbed "Authority 1402".
Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army Abdolrahim Mousavi said "we are always ready to deal with threats".
The country is feared to potentially intervene in the Gaza conflict either directly or via its proxy terror groups.
Khamenei shared a number of other cryptic posts on October 3, days before Hamas launched its attack on Israelis.
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One read: "Which country won’t be able to plunder & show aggression if Muslim countries are united? The US.
"If countries like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, & others adopt a united policy in fundamental issues, aggressive powers won’t be able to interfere in their affairs."
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