Thousands of Iranians have gathered in Tehran to attend the funeral procession of senior IRGC commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians who died during Israeli airstrikes, Iranian media reported on Saturday morning.
Their coffins were driven into Tehran's Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.
In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei's son Mojtaba.
"Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.
Iranian authorities said 627 people were killed in Iran, where the extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed because of tight restrictions on the media. Israeli authorities said 28 people were killed in Israel.
Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists during its Operation Rising Lion, a senior Israeli military official said on Friday in summarizing Israel's 12-day air war with Iran.
The air force struck over 900 targets, and the military deeply damaged Iran's missile production during the war that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire, the official said.
Khamenei claims victory over Israel
The procession comes days after Ayatollah Khamenei congratulated the people of Iran for what he called a "decisive victory" over the US and Israel during the 12-Day War in posts on X/Twitter, and a recorded message released on Thursday.
"I deem it necessary to extend a few congratulations to the great nation of Iran: First, congratulations on the victory over the fake Zionist regime. With all that clamor, with all those claims, the Zionist regime, under the blows of the Islamic Republic, has almost collapsed and been crushed," he said.
He also said that the US got involved in the war because it was afraid that Israel would be destroyed without its assistance.
According to Khamenei, the US gained nothing from the war and also received a "slap in the face."
The ayatollah added that Iran "can take action whenever it deems necessary" and warned enemies that if any further aggression occurred, they would "pay a heavy price."
Khamenei's statements come following a two-week disappearance from the public eye, after relocating to a hidden location and avoiding electronic communication, fearing Israeli assassination attempts.
Reuters contributed to this article.