TEHRAN -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei dismissed the “foolish” U.S.-Israeli plan to displace Gazans as he received Islamic Jihad head Ziyad al-Nakhaleh and his companions here Tuesday. 
The plan, the Leader said, will fail just like their attempts to eliminate resistance in the Gaza Strip, referring to Israel’s 15 months of death and destruction in the besieged Palestinian territory.
“These plans will lead nowhere. Those who pledged to eliminate resistance within a short time a year and a half ago, now receive their prisoners from small groups of resistance fighters in exchange for a big number of Palestinians,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei praised the victory of the resistance in Gaza over Israel and the U.S., describing it as magnificent.
“The great job done by Palestinian resistance leaders and fighters in creating unity and cohesion, standing firm against the enemy, and navigating the complex process of ceasefire talks, as well as the Gazan people’s resilience and patience has brought honor to the resistance in the region,” he said.
“This victory sets a new benchmark for resistance battles,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. 
Ayatollah Khamenei commended the way resistance handled prisoner exchanges as a testament to its strength before global audiences.
The Leader said the Zionist regime is now negotiating the release of its captives held in Gaza in exchange for a substantially larger number of Palestinian prisoners and with the same resistance groups whom it had pledged to destroy.
“Currently, the international public opinion is on the side of Palestine, and thus no plan can succeed without consent from Gaza’s resistance and people,” the Leader said.
In the meeting, Nakhaleh congratulated Ayatollah Khamenei on the victory in Gaza and attributed it to Iran’s consistent support and guidance from late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
“The Palestinian resistance was effectively fighting America and the West over the past 18 months and despite the inequality of the balance of power, it pulled off major victories,” Nakhaleh said.
He touched on unity among Palestinian and Lebanese groups on the battlefield and political levels as one of the factors influencing their success in Gaza.
“We will never forget our path of resistance, and we will continue this path as soldiers of the resistance,” Nakhaleh said.