Tens of thousands of Iranians attend funerals of killed generals
dpa
Tehran
Tens of thousands of people attended official funeral ceremonies held in central Tehran on Saturday for the generals killed by Israel.
The senior military leaders and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) honoured include Chief of Staff Mohammed Bagheri, IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hussein Salami and Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC's aerospace division.
The three men were the leaders of the Iranian armed forces and had significant political influence.
Israel targeted and killed more than 20 high-ranking military officials during the 12-day war, some of them in their homes.
Journalists and one of the nuclear scientists who were killed were also commemorated, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Attendees at the ceremonies on Saturday included President Massoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but not religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It is unusual for the nation's most powerful man to be absent as usually on such an occasion he would recite the prayers.
More than 1 million people were gathered in Tehran, according to state broadcaster IRIB, though the figure could not be independently verified.
Participants chanted slogans common in Iran such as 'Death to America!' and 'Death to Israel!' The funeral ceremony took place at Revolution Square in central Tehran and the subsequent march led to Azadi Square (Freedom Square) in western Tehran.
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