Iran leader Khamenei, rifle at his side, vows resistance against Israel

(Reuters) -With a rifle by his side, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared in public on Friday for the first time since Iran's latest missile attack on Israel, describing the strike as legitimate punishment for what he called Israeli crimes. Delivering his first Friday prayers sermon in nearly five years, Khamenei said resistance against Israel in the region would not back down even with the killing of its leaders. Every now and then his hand grasped the barrel of a rifle that stood to his left.