NAJAF, Iraq: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led prayers on Thursday at the funeral of Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a senior Revolutionary Guards adviser who was killed in what Iran said was an Israeli air strike in Syria.
Khamenei paid tribute “to this martyr’s tireless struggle and called for his companionship with the guardians of God,” state TV said.
His body was flown from Syria to the holy Shiite city of Najaf in Iraq before being taken to Tehran.
An Israeli military spokesperson declined specific comment about Mousavi’s death on Monday, but said it took whatever action that was necessary to defend the country.
Since the eruption of war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, Iran-backed groups have mounted operations against Israel, while others, including militias in Iraq, have threatened US interests.
Israel has for years carried out attacks against what it describes as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it backed President Bashar Assad in the civil war that erupted in Syria in 2011.
Iran’s supreme leader leads prayers during funeral of senior Guards adviser
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Iran’s supreme leader leads prayers during funeral of senior Guards adviser
- His body was flown from Syria to Najaf in Iraq before being taken to Tehran
- Mourners chanted “Death to America, Death to Israel” during funeral service for Mousavi in Iraq
Hundreds mourn in Syria’s Homs after deadly mosque bombing
- Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect
HOMS: Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday despite rain and cold outside of a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs where a bombing the day before killed eight people and wounded 18.
The crowd gathered next to the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi Al-Dhahab neighborhood, where the population is predominantly from the Alawite minority, before driving in convoys to bury the victims.
Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect.
A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, in which it indicated that the attack intended to target members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam whom hard-line Islamists consider to be apostates.
The same group had previously claimed a suicide attack in June in which a gunman opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, killing 25 people as worshippers prayed on a Sunday.
A neighbor of the mosque, who asked to be identified only by the honorific Abu Ahmad (“father of Ahmad“) out of security concerns, said he was at home when he heard the sound of a “very very strong explosion.”
He and other neighbors went to the mosque and saw terrified people running out of it, he said. They entered and began trying to help the wounded, amid blood and scattered body parts on the floor.
While the neighborhood is primarily Alawite, he said the mosque had always been open to members of all sects to pray.
“It’s the house of God,” he said. “The mosque’s door is open to everyone. No one ever asked questions. Whoever wants to enter can enter.”
Mourners were unable to enter the mosque to pray Saturday because the crime scene remained cordoned off, so they prayed outside.
Some then marched through the streets chanting “Ya Ali,” in reference to the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law whom Shiite Muslims consider to be his rightful successor.
