During his routine visit to the Tehran International Book Fair, Iran’s supreme leader selected The Fall Of Tel Aviv, a novel that depicts the fall of the Jewish state and Iran’s archenemy.

Ali Khamenei’s selection of the book by Lebanon’s Somayah Ali Hashem comes amidst renewed military tensions between Israel and Iran which peaked with Iran’s first ever direct attack on Israel last month.

Speaking to Iran International, Masoud Mafan, manager of Baran Publishing in Sweden, described Khamenei's book selection as "beating the drum of war."

On April 13, in what was reported as a response to an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus, Iran carried out its first direct assault on Israel, firing over 350 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones. Most of these were intercepted by Israeli defenses and a US-led coalition. In retaliation, Israel targeted and destroyed a crucial part of the S-300 air defense system at the Isfahan base.

This year's Tehran book fair has also been marked by its inclusion of the Yemeni Houthis as special guests. The Iran-backed militia, known for its recent attacks against Israeli and commercial targets in the Red Sea, was invited following the absence of Indian publishers, who were unable to attend due to travel restrictions imposed by the government.

The Tehran International Book Fair, a cultural event since its inception in 1987 under then-minister Mohammad Khatami, initially attracted 196 foreign and 200 domestic publishers.

Notable initial participants included major international publishers like Oxford, Penguin, and UNESCO but amid Iran’s ongoing policy of hostage diplomacy, human rights abuses and visa issues of the sanctioned nation, less and less participants now attend.