June 20, 2 a.m. ET Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah’s leadership to stay away from its conflict with Iran, saying “The Hezbollah Secretary General has not learned from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel under orders from the Iranian dictator.”

Over the next three decades, Khamenei turned Iran around into as assertive power wielding influence across the Middle East. One major boost was the U.S.’s 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein, which eventually brought Iranian-allied Shiite politicians and militias to power in Iraq.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used its long-range, two-stage Sejjil missiles in a recent round of missile strikes targeting Israel, according to Iran's media. Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.