Thousands gathered in Tehran on Thursday for the funeral of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Razi Mousavi, who was killed in recent Israeli airstrike in Syia. The funeral procession in Tehran’s central Imam Hossein square was marked by chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America,” with many attendees waving yellow flags bearing the message “I am your opponent” in both Persian and Hebrew, a direct reference to Israel.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, met with Mousavi’s family earlier on Thursday and led Islamic prayers over the slain general’s body before it was transported to the central square for public mourning.

Mourners in Tehran also carried pictures of Mousavi alongside Qassem Soleimani, another high-ranking commander of the IRGC’s foreign operations arm, who was killed in a 2020 U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. Iran is preparing to observe the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death, who had led the IRGC’s Quds Force for over a decade and was responsible for orchestrating numerous terror attacks abroad.

Syria, reacting to Mousavi’s death, denounced it as part of Israel’s “aggressive policies,” according to the official news agency SANA.

Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, lauded Razi Mousavi as “one of the most experienced and effective IRGC commanders in the Axis of Resistance.” This term refers to a coalition of Tehran-aligned terrorist groups in the Middle East. Following Mousavi’s assassination, IRGC spokesperson Ramezan Sharif issued a warning that their response would involve both direct actions and coordinated efforts with the Axis of Resistance.

Sharif also suggested that Israel’s assassination of Mousavi “was likely due to its failures”  on October 7.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)