Tens of thousands gathered in central Tehran on Saturday to pay their respects during the funeral procession for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ top leader, as well as senior commanders and nuclear scientists killed in a 12-day conflict with Israel.
The coffins of IRGC Commander Gen. Hossein Salami, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who oversaw Iran’s ballistic missile program, and other officials were paraded through the city along Azadi Street, which was named Eisenhower Avenue after the former U.S. president before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Mourners voiced their anger with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Both Salami and Hajizadeh were targeted on June 13, when Israel began its offensive aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. The initial strikes focused on eliminating key military leaders, scientists and nuclear sites.
State media claimed that over one million people turned out for the funeral procession, lining up in droves along the nearly three-mile route, one of the Iranian capital’s main thoroughfares.
Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Deffrin summarized “Operation Rising Lion” on Friday, asserting that it was launched after “receiving clear evidence” that the Iranian regime was “dangerously close” to obtaining a nuclear weapon and was coordinating “The Destruction of Israel Plan.” This plan called for a multi-front attack on the Jewish state, including missile fire from Iran and its proxies, followed by a massive ground invasion.
In the opening strike of the operation, Israeli fighter jets targeted nuclear facilities, dozens of senior military commanders, 11 nuclear experts, knowledge hubs and research and development sites. The Air Force simultaneously launched strikes against surface-to-surface missiles, launchers, production capabilities, and anti-aircraft systems. The opening attack gave the IAF aerial superiority in western Iran, paving the way for further operations in Tehran.
This surprise attack disrupted the Iranian regime’s plans for a much larger assault against Israel. According to Defrin, in recent months, military intelligence had identified that the Iranian regime “was taking steps to drastically increase missile production to reach 8,000 precision missiles,” calling it a “direct threat” to the Jewish state within the next two years.
Over 12 days, Israel significantly degraded the Iranian regime’s nuclear, missile and UAV capabilities, leading to coordinated U.S. military strikes on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites on June 21. Shortly thereafter, Trump announced a bilateral ceasefire.
“We removed the immediate existential threat to the State of Israel,” said Deffrin on Friday. “This threat must never be allowed to resurface.”