Large crowds took to the streets in the capitals of Iran, Iraq and Yemen on Friday for the annual show of support for Palestinians and denunciation of Israel, AFP reports.

Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations were launched in 1979 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic, which has made support for the Palestinian cause a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

The marches, which call for Jerusalem to be returned to the Palestinians, are traditionally held on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Crowds gathered in the streets of Tehran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Iranian people to protest against “the enemies’ tricks”. Demonstrators waved Iranian and Palestinian flags, as well as those of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Many held placards reading “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, and chanted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, an AFP journalist reported.

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