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Iran to Hold Funeral for Slain Security Chief as It Vows Vengeance

Then Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani attends a news conference in Damascus, Syria February 16, 2020. (Reuters)
Then Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani attends a news conference in Damascus, Syria February 16, 2020. (Reuters)
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Iran to Hold Funeral for Slain Security Chief as It Vows Vengeance

Then Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani attends a news conference in Damascus, Syria February 16, 2020. (Reuters)
Then Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani attends a news conference in Damascus, Syria February 16, 2020. (Reuters)

Iran will hold a funeral Wednesday for its security chief Ali Larijani as it vowed revenge, firing off a wave of missiles at Israel after it killed the powerful figure in an air strike.

A barrage of Iranian missiles killed two people near Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, while Gulf nations intercepted rockets and drones headed for targets including US bases in the region.

In Lebanon, pulled into the Middle East war by Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israel conducted a wave of deadly strikes including in central Beirut, with AFPTV's live broadcast showing plumes of smoke rising from one of the targeted areas.

According to Iran's Fars and Tasnim news agencies, funerals for Larijani and another powerful figure killed by Israel, Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force, will take place from 1030 GMT in Tehran.

Their deaths were announced Tuesday.

Larijani is the most prominent figure of the country killed since Israel and the United States launched their attacks on Iran on February 28, killing supreme leader Ali Khamenei and igniting a war across the Middle East.

Khamenei’s funeral was due to be held days after he was killed, but that was later postponed indefinitely.

"Iran's response to the assassination of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council will be decisive and regrettable," Iranian army chief Amir Hatami said in a statement.

- 'Only just begun' -

Besides sending missiles and drones into Israel and Gulf nations, Iran has sought to extract a heavy toll on the global economy, including by driving up the cost of oil by all but closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for crude.

With oil still hovering around $100 a barrel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Wednesday that the global repercussions of the war "has only just begun and will hit all".

As part of an effort to reopen Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's crude transits, the US military said it brought out some of the heaviest bombs in its arsenal to penetrate adjacent missile sites.

The United States dropped several 5,000-pound (2,250 kg) bombs -- estimated to cost $288,000 each -- on "hardened Iranian missile sites" near the coast that posed a threat to international shipping, Central Command said.

US President Donald Trump earlier Tuesday fumed that American allies, which have largely distanced themselves from his war, were not lining up behind the United States to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

But Trump also boasted that the US military did not need its allies, writing on his Truth Social platform: "WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!"

- 'National awakening' -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which said Wednesday they launched missiles at central Israel as retaliation, warned in a statement that Larijani's death would spur further attacks.

The "pure blood of this great martyr... will be a source of honor, power and national awakening against the front of global arrogance," the powerful military force said in a statement.

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan lashed out at Israel, condemning its "political assassinations" of Tehran's leaders as "illegal activities outside the normal laws of war".

But Israel vowed also to target the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since he succeeded his father.

"We will track him down, find him, and neutralize him," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told reporters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again called for the end of the Iranian regime, although he and Trump have stopped short of saying that is their goal in the wider war.

In contrast to Mojtaba Khamenei, Larijani, 68, had walked openly with crowds at a pro-government rally last week in Tehran.

He had "effectively been the figure in charge of the regime's survival, its regional policy and its defense strategy," David Khalfa, co-founder of the Atlantic Middle East Forum, told AFP.

- Deaths in Israel, Lebanon -

In Israel, medics said two people died after an Iranian missile barrage caused extensive damage to a building near the commercial hub Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile Lebanon said Israel struck central Beirut early Wednesday without warning, killing at least six people, as the Israeli military announced it was targeting the country's south.

Lebanon was drawn into the war when Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel over Ali Khamenei’s death.

Elsewhere, the Saudi Defense Ministry said it had intercepted a ballistic missile near the Prince Sultan Air Base.

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World

Türkiye's Erdogan Says Israel Must Not Scupper US-Iran Deal

FILE PHOTO: Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File Photo
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Türkiye's Erdogan Says Israel Must Not Scupper US-Iran Deal

FILE PHOTO: Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File Photo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Middle East peace efforts could not succeed without regional backing and that Israel must not be allowed to "dynamite" the US-Iran peace deal.

Speaking alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul, Erdogan said: "No solution that does not take strength from the ⁠will and contributions ⁠of regional countries can be lasting."

Türkiye, a NATO member and Iran's neighbor, has repeatedly accused Israel of trying to undermine the US-Iran deal mediated by Pakistan, and has condemned ⁠Israeli operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

"We are closely following the Israeli administration's attempts to dynamite the (US-Iran) deal... The current war-addicted Israeli government must not be allowed to drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood again," Reuters quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan also said Türkiye aimed to deepen cooperation with Pakistan ⁠in ⁠energy, transport, critical minerals, information technology and defense, while pursuing a bilateral trade target of $5 billion.

Earlier on Saturday, officials from both countries attended a business forum in Istanbul.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkish firms wanted to contribute to projects in Pakistan and share Türkiye 's energy-sector expertise as Pakistan undergoes a transformation of its electricity sector.

World

Mali: Insurgents Stage Attacks on Army, Russian Fighters

A general view shows traffic moving along a main road in Bamako on July 4, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A general view shows traffic moving along a main road in Bamako on July 4, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Mali: Insurgents Stage Attacks on Army, Russian Fighters

A general view shows traffic moving along a main road in Bamako on July 4, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A general view shows traffic moving along a main road in Bamako on July 4, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Insurgents in Mali staged attacks in five locations early on Saturday, including a northern town where government and Russian fighters are based and a town south of the capital Bamako, the latest threat to the landlocked Sahel nation's embattled leaders.

The assault targeted army positions in cities and towns including Anefis, Aguelhoc and Gao in northern Mali, Sevare in central Mali and Kenioroba in the south, the Malian armed forces said in a statement.

Soldiers repelled the attacks and the situation was "totally under control", the statement said, adding that 20 "terrorists" had been killed in Sevare and six in Gao. One pro-government fighter was killed in Gao and four others were injured, it said.

A spokesperson for a ⁠Tuareg-led rebel group, ⁠the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), said it was involved in Saturday's attacks. The group partnered with the regional al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), in April in a coordinated, high-profile operation that hit the airport in the capital Bamako and killed the defense minister.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from JNIM.

The FLA's spokesperson, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, said the group's fighters had entered Anefis, in the northeastern Kidal region.

Government and Russian troops were deployed there after the April attacks, having ⁠previously been driven from the strategic town of Kidal.

Reuters could not independently verify the claim.

In Gao, a local official said gunfire and rocket attacks targeting a military camp had continued since before dawn, though it was not immediately clear who was responsible.

"No one could go out this morning... the Malian Armed Forces have blocked all the streets. We're in our homes," a Gao resident said. "The noise was so intense it felt like the roof was going to collapse."

In Sevare, a resident told Reuters that early morning gunfire was followed by four large explosions in the west of the city at around 8 a.m. local time (0800 GMT). Even heavier detonations were heard in the town at around 10 a.m., the resident said.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

Kenioroba is home ⁠to a prison holding ⁠members of Mali's political opposition. A diplomatic source and a security source said the prison was attacked, though one said security forces repelled the assailants.

A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The attacks highlight the failure of Mali's military leaders, who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, to deliver the improved security they promised.

In September 2024, JNIM attacked a paramilitary police training school near the Bamako airport, killing about 70 people. More recently, it carried out a fuel blockade that has starved the capital's residents and businesses of power and supplies.

Mali's government has recently pursued closer ties with Washington, which has sought to rebuild cooperation on security and explore mining opportunities.

Russia, whose Africa Corps forces are backing the government, vowed to stand by Mali after the attacks in April.

World

Iran Begins Dayslong Funeral for the Late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah at his compound in downtown Tehran. Millions are expected to flood the streets of Tehran in the coming days. (AP Video: Bassam Hatoum)
An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah at his compound in downtown Tehran. Millions are expected to flood the streets of Tehran in the coming days. (AP Video: Bassam Hatoum)
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Iran Begins Dayslong Funeral for the Late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah at his compound in downtown Tehran. Millions are expected to flood the streets of Tehran in the coming days. (AP Video: Bassam Hatoum)
An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah at his compound in downtown Tehran. Millions are expected to flood the streets of Tehran in the coming days. (AP Video: Bassam Hatoum)

Hundreds of thousands of mourners began a dayslong funeral Saturday for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, calling for revenge against Israel and the United States.

The funeral for Khamenei, who ruled Iran for decades before he was killed at age 86 in a Feb. 28 airstrike in the opening moments of the Iran war, could provide a boost for the country's theocracy and its new supreme leader, his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

That is important as Iran tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the US over a permanent end to the war and as concern lingers that Israel could attack again. The funeral was delayed as the war raged.

During the ceremony, Iran's top negotiator warned France and the United Kingdom over their comments about potentially launching joint patrols in the waterway, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas once passed in peacetime.

Coffins are on display at Grand Mosalla An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah at his compound in downtown Tehran. There was a chair like the one he once sat in while giving his sermons, complete with a microphone on a stand and a table next to it. Above it hung an image of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who died in 1989, The AP news reported.

Khomeini's funeral saw chaotic scenes as millions thronged his mourning ceremony and trip to the cemetery. Khamenei's death was only the second time Iran has lost a supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

On Saturday, volunteers sprayed cooling water on crowds in the summer heat. Men and women congregated separately inside the Grand Mosalla after being checked by metal detectors and body searches. Police with assault rifles stood guard on surrounding streets. Many people stayed outside in the street, lounging under the shade of trees because the city had shut down.

The caskets of his dead family members sat beneath Khamenei's, which had his black turban atop it, identifying him as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. The dead included the wife of Mojtaba Khamenei, whose possible appearance at the funeral remained unclear. He reportedly was wounded in the attack that killed his father and has not been seen publicly since the war began.

“We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion,” said Ali Kazemi, who came from the northwestern city of Tabriz, some 530 kilometers (330 miles) from Tehran.

Funeral starts as US marks its 250th anniversary Iran chose July 4, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the US, to begin the funeral. While authorities did not acknowledge the timing, crowds at the ceremony in Tehran chanted: “Death to America!” The refrain has been common in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and US Embassy takeover and hostage crisis. They also cried: “Death to Israel!”

“We knocked the hell out of Iran,” US President Donald Trump said in a speech at the same time in South Dakota in front of Mount Rushmore. “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral.”

As the ceremony went on, Iran's chief negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi criticized a joint statement overnight from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron which suggested their militaries stood ready to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.

Control of the strait has been a major point of leverage for Iran, which has suggested it wants to charge vessels passing through it, upending decades of it being widely considered an international waterway.

“The security of Hormuz lies with the coastal states — the crisis-makers will be held accountable for the consequences of their adventurism,” Gharibabadi wrote on X. “This is a serious warning.”

Khamenei will be buried Thursday in Mashhad Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq. Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday as he is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei's place of birth.

Authorities offered no immediate attendance count for the event Saturday, which saw the crowds circulate in and out of the Grand Mosalla and surrounding streets. Other cities across Iran also held mourning ceremonies.

On Sunday, a prayer for the dead is planned at the Grand Mosalla. On Monday, Khamenei's body and those of his family will be taken through the streets of Tehran, which likely will draw large crowds.

“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” said a weeping Hananeh Mousavi, 27, who attended the funeral alongside her mother. “I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy.”