Iran anti-Israel protests highlight regional conflicts

Thousands of Iranians took to the streets in pro-Palestine rallies across the capital on Friday to mark the annual al-Quds Day denouncing the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

Huge crowds of protesters – including President Hassan Rouhani – gathered to mark the event while also shedding light on recent regional concerns, including the notorious Saudi-Iranian rivalry.

"Today, due to the divisions in the Islamic world, the presence of takfiris (extremists) and terrorists in the region... we are far away from the ideal of liberating Palestine," Rouhani told state TV, calling for greater unity between Muslims.

Al-Quds Day is a yearly event established by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the 1979 revolution against the Shah.

The rally – which is replicated across the globe on the final Friday during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – has become a popular way for the Iranian government to rally the faithful against "the Zionist entity".

"In Lebanon alone over 100,000 missiles are ready at all times to fly... at the heart of the Zionist regime," said General Hossein Salami, deputy chief of the elite Revolutionary Guards in a speech before Friday prayers at Tehran University.

"Tens of thousands of other missiles... have been planted across the Islamic world and are awaiting orders so that with the push of a button a sinister and dark dot on the political geography of the world disappears forever," he added.

Iran has adamantly refused to recognise Israel and has held the Palestinian cause in close regard since the Islamic Republic's revolution in 1979.

Bandanas marked with "I love fighting Israel" were donned by thousands while others gathered at Tehran University to shed light on the deepening rivalry with Saudi Arabia.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards are heavily involved in the fight against Islamic State militants as part of its support for Bashar al-Assad.

Tensions between the Saudi Arabia and Iran have increased in recent years as both powers continue to face each other on the battlefield in both Yemen and Syria.