FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during a gathering in Tehran, Iran January 1, 2020. Official Khamenei website/Handout via REUTERS

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday the assassination of Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani would double the motivation of the resistance against the United States and Israel, state television reported.

“All Enemies should know that the jihad of resistance will continue with a doubled motivation, and a definite victory awaits the fighters in the holy war,” Khamenei said in a statement carried by TV, in which he called for three days of national mourning.

Iran often refers to regional countries and forces opposed to Israel and the United States as a “resistance” front.

(This story has been refiled to add dropped word in first paragraph)