Funeral held for Iran's IRGC commander killed by Israel as Tehran vows revenge

Funerals were held for slain Iranian commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi in Syria and Iraq on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the conflict between Israel and Iran’s regional proxies heats up.

Mousavi, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in a missile strike outside of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Monday. The strike was widely attributed to Israel, though Israel did not confirm its involvement in keeping with its policy.

Mousavi was responsible for coordinating Iran and Syria’s military alliance. Iran’s state television described Mousavi as one of the IRGC’s oldest advisers in Syria, adding that he was “among those accompanying Qasem Soleimani,” referencing the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, who was killed in a US drone attack in Baghdad in 2020.

Funerals are being held for Mousavi throughout the region. A funeral procession occurred in Damascus on Tuesday, while “a burial is planned in Iran for Thursday,” according to Agence France-Presse.