Thousands mourn top Iranian military commanders and scientists killed in Israeli strikes - Region
Thousands of mourners lined the streets of downtown Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of the head of the Revolutionary Guard and other top commanders and nuclear scientists killed during a 12-day war with Israel.
The caskets of Guard's chief Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital's Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted: 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel.'
Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched a war it said meant to destroy Iran's nuclear program, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities. Several strikes hit residential areas, killing family members and civilians nearby.
There was no immediate sign of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral.
Khamenei, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television.
Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites.
More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
In response, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people.
Saturday's ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children.
Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies.
Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. But Israel said its military campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from building an atomic weapon.
Khamenei's last public appearance was June 11, two days before Israel launched attacks on Tehran, when he met with Iranian parliamentarians.
On Thursday, however, he released a pre-recorded video, in his first message since the end of the war, filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries.
The 86-year-old downplayed U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as having not achieved 'anything significant' and claimed victory over Israel.
Although, US President Donald Trump has claimed the US strikes 'completely and fully obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme, insisting it has been set back by decades, Iran is believed to have moved a portion of its highly enriched uranium stockpile ahead of the strikes, something it told the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it planned to do.
Still, Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director general, told Radio France International that damage to the Fordo site—located deep in a mountain—was 'very, very, very considerable'.
He said the site's centrifuges, 'quite precise machines', would likely have suffered 'important physical damage' from multiple 30,000-pound bombs. 'These centrifuges are no longer operational,' he said.
Grossi has faced growing criticism inside Iran for issuing contradictory statements that officials say created political cover for US and Israeli attacks on the country.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had not yet decided whether to grant access to IAEA inspectors to assess the damage. 'They will be kept out for the time being,' he said, speaking on Iranian state television late on Thursday.
He added that US military intervention had further derailed diplomatic efforts. 'The American decision to intervene militarily made it more complicated and more difficult,' he said, referring to the prospects of resuming talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
4 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Thousands mourn top Iranian military commanders and scientists killed in Israeli strikes - Region
Thousands of mourners lined the streets of downtown Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of the head of the Revolutionary Guard and other top commanders and nuclear scientists killed during a 12-day war with Israel. The caskets of Guard's chief Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital's Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted: 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel.' Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched a war it said meant to destroy Iran's nuclear program, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities. Several strikes hit residential areas, killing family members and civilians nearby. There was no immediate sign of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral. Khamenei, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television. Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. In response, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Saturday's ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children. Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies. Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. But Israel said its military campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from building an atomic weapon. Khamenei's last public appearance was June 11, two days before Israel launched attacks on Tehran, when he met with Iranian parliamentarians. On Thursday, however, he released a pre-recorded video, in his first message since the end of the war, filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries. The 86-year-old downplayed U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as having not achieved 'anything significant' and claimed victory over Israel. Although, US President Donald Trump has claimed the US strikes 'completely and fully obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme, insisting it has been set back by decades, Iran is believed to have moved a portion of its highly enriched uranium stockpile ahead of the strikes, something it told the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it planned to do. Still, Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director general, told Radio France International that damage to the Fordo site—located deep in a mountain—was 'very, very, very considerable'. He said the site's centrifuges, 'quite precise machines', would likely have suffered 'important physical damage' from multiple 30,000-pound bombs. 'These centrifuges are no longer operational,' he said. Grossi has faced growing criticism inside Iran for issuing contradictory statements that officials say created political cover for US and Israeli attacks on the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had not yet decided whether to grant access to IAEA inspectors to assess the damage. 'They will be kept out for the time being,' he said, speaking on Iranian state television late on Thursday. He added that US military intervention had further derailed diplomatic efforts. 'The American decision to intervene militarily made it more complicated and more difficult,' he said, referring to the prospects of resuming talks on Iran's nuclear programme. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Independent
5 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Mourners gather in Tehran as state funeral for senior figures underway
Large crowds gathered in Tehran waving flags and banners to honor 60 people, including top military figures and nuclear scientists, killed in Iran's 12-day conflict with Israel earlier this month. Iranian state media outlet IRIB played patriotic music over video from the state funeral ceremony, which showed mourners reaching out to touch coffins draped in Iran's red, white and green. President Masoud Pezeshkian was seen in the crowd, alongside security officers. Portraits of several slain military figures were displayed on a stage, including images of Major General Hossein Salami and General Mohammad Bagheri. Some members of the crowd also carried photos of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as demonstrators chanted anti-America and anti-Israel slogans, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Key figures: Hossein Salami was the head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and one the most powerful men in Iran. Mohammad Bagheri had served as the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, which the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated could call on more than 500,000 active personnel. Israel claimed its killing of regime figures such as Salami and Bagheri, as well as several nuclear scientists, were among the key successes of its unprecedented attacks on Iran.
Egypt Independent
5 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Russia has amassed 110,000 troops near strategic Ukrainian city, Kyiv says
CNN — Russia has amassed 110,000 troops in the vicinity of Pokrovsk as part of its efforts to take over the strategic eastern Ukrainian city, the Ukrainian military chief said Friday. Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday that the area around Pokrovsk was the 'hottest spot'along the 1,200-kilometre (745 miles) front line which runs across the east. Russian forces have been trying to capture Pokrovsk for almost a year, staging one grinding offensive after another. But despite having a clear advantage in terms of the number of troops and weapons available, Moscow has failed to take over the city. Pokrovsk is a strategic target for Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his goal is to seize all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk his forces partially occupy. Kyiv and its allies accuse Russia's President Vladimir Putin of stalling on peace efforts so that his forces can seize more Ukrainian territory. Although not a major city, Pokrovsk sits on a key supply road and railroad that connect it with other military hubs in the area. Together with Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, it forms the backbone of Ukrainian defenses in the part of Donetsk region that are still under Kyiv's control. Some 60,000 lived in Pokrovsk before the war, but the majority have left in the three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine's last operating coking coal mine was in Pokrovsk and many of its employees were staying in the area to keep it going. Once it was forced to shut down early this year, they too began to leave. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based conflict monitor, said late last year that Ukrainian defensive operations in Pokrovsk have forced Russia to abandon its original plan to take over Pokrovsk in a frontal assault. Residents walk next to an apartment building hit by Russian military strikes in Pokrovsk onApril 23, 2025. Nina Liashonok/Reuters The ISW said this was because Ukrainian troops began using drones as integral part of their defensive strategy, successfully integrating drone operators with their ground forces. At the same time, Russia was unable to increase the number of troops in the area by much, because it was trying to contain the surprise incursion of Ukrainian troops into its own territory in the southern Kursk region. Syrskyi told reporters last week that at one point, the Kursk operation pulled back nearly 63,000 Russian troops and some 7,000 North Korean troops. 'This allowed us to weaken the enemy's pressure on the main fronts and regroup our troops. And the enemy's capture of Pokrovsk, announced back in September 2024, has not yet taken place, thanks in part to our Kursk operation,' he said. Instead of continuing to attacking the city directly, Russian troops then began encircling the city from south and northeast. The ISW said in its most recent assessment on Friday that Russian forces were continuing assaults with small fireteams of one to two soldiers, sometimes on motorcycles, in all-terrain vehicles and buggies. In a statement issued on Friday, Syrksky said Russia continued to try to break through to the administrative border of the Donetsk region. 'They want to do this not only to achieve some operational results, but primarily for demonstrative purposes. To achieve a psychological effect: to put the infamous 'foot of the Russian soldier' there, plant a flag and trumpet another pseudo-'victory',' he said.
