'Israel will be PUNISHED for making huge mistake': Khamenei warns Israel, says 'era of hit-and-run is over'

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday (June 18) warned Israel that it would be punished for making a "huge mistake".

In a televised address, the Iranian leader vowed that Israel will be punished amid heightened tensions as the Israel-Iran war escalates.

However, Khamenei did not mention the nature of the "mistake" he was talking about, he definitely signalled a strong response from Iran as Israel continues to launch strikes.

'Era of hit and run over'

Khamenei further stressed that the era of hit-and-run is over and "the Zionist regime" will be punished for the crime they committed.

“The Zionist regime must know that the era of hit-and-run is over,” Khamenei said. “They will be punished for the crime they have committed.”

This comes just hours after his televised address, in which he warned the US against military intervention and asserted that Iran would not surrender to "imposed peace or war".

'Iran will never surrender'

The Iranian leader slammed the "threatening and ridiculous statements" made by US President Donald Trump, and warned that any US military intervention will undoubtedly cause "irreparable damage."

He said that "wise people who know Iran, its people, and its history never speak to this nation in the language of threats, because Iranians are not those who surrender".

He then praised the "steadfast, courageous, and timely behaviour" of the Iranian nation' as Israel continued to attack the Iranian region.

“The Iranian nation will stand firm against an imposed war, just as it will stand firm against an imposed peace, and this nation will not surrender to anyone in the face of imposition,” Tasnim news agency quotes him as saying.