Sri Lanka, July 6 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made his first public appearance since the start of Iran's conflict with Israel, according to state media.

State television footage showed him greeting worshippers at a mosque on Saturday during a ceremony a day before the Shia festival of Ashura.

Khamenei's last appearance was in a recorded address during the conflict with Israel, which began on 13 June and during which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed.

Israel launched a surprise attack on nuclear and military sites in Iran, after which Iran retaliated with aerial attacks targeting Israel.

During the 12-day war with Israel, Khamenei appeared on TV in three video messages and there was specu...