Anti-Israel protesters in Iran unveiled a digital countdown showing 8,411 days to what they said would be the "destruction of Israel", as part of an annual rally in support of the Palestinian Territories.
The time frame appears to stem from comments made in 2015 by Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said there would be "nothing" left of Israel by the year 2040.
Demonstrators chanted “death to Israel” as crowds assembled on Friday for Al-Quds day (Arabic for Jerusalem), while people touted placards condemning Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US. The Revolutionary Guard took the opportunity to display its ballistic missiles, including the type which was used in Syria where the government claimed it killed a "large number of terrorists,” although agencies could not verify the report.
The display was in Tehran's Palestine Square, and state media claimed that more than one million people participated in the demonstrations.
Similar protests popped up across Iran, with protesters condemning Israeli’s occupation of Palestinian territories and burning the Israeli and American flags.
President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani were amongst the officials who attended the demonstration.
In a speech to marching people who were going to Friday prayers at the Tehran University grounds, Iranian Tasnim News Agency reports Mr Larijani said: “Israel is the most malignant terrorist in history.
“[Israel is the] mother of terrorism,” he added.
Iran is fiercely critical of the country for its alleged human rights violations, and President Rouhani told the IRNA news agency that Israel supports “terrorists in the region.”
Tensions between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran have intensified as of late, in part due to theological disagreements, as well as Donald Trump's increasing support of the former, and condemnation of the latter.
Last month Saudi’s King Salman called Iran the “spearhead of global terrorism.”
