Tehran: Iran's supreme leader is predicting the destruction of Israel in one of his harshest comments in years about the Jewish state.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the timeline for Israel's demise depends on how Muslim nations "approach the issue”. He did not elaborate.
The Iranian leader made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with the Mauritanian President in Tehran. He posted the comments on his office Web site on Thursday.
Khamenei has previously called Israel a "cancerous tumour" that must be removed from the map. But his new comments mark the first time in years Khamenei has publicly predicted Israel's downfall.
The remarks also come as Jews mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day - the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi-run Auschwitz death camp.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 28, 2010, 09:12