The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called for the annihilation of Israel on Thursday at a state funeral in Tehran for Razi Mousavi, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer killed in Syria on Monday in an alleged Israeli attack.
“Our revenge for the martyrdom of Sayyed Razi will be nothing less than the removal of the Zionist regime,” said Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, chief commander of the IRGC. “I am hopeful that soon, God permitting, the great and honorable Palestinian fighters will wipe out the geographical and political name of this evil and fake regime.”
Khamenei greeting the family is here. The grandness of this funeral--having stops in Syria, Iraq, and Iran, with Khamenei playing a role--is a sign of how important Mousavi was for the Islamic Republic. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/RmbNTMIgcA
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) December 28, 2023
Thousands attended the tribute in the capital’s central Imam Hossein Square, chanting “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” and waving yellow flags with an anti-Israel message written on them.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led prayers at the televised event.
Mousavi’s body was flown from Syria to the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf in Iraq on Wednesday before being taken for burial in Tehran.
Considered one of the IRGC’s top Quds Force commanders, Mousavi was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Iran and Syria and was reportedly involved in Tehran’s efforts to supply its terror proxies in the region with weapons, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.
He was a longtime confidante of Qasem Soleimani, the Quds Force commander killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in 2020.
