Iran Mourns Fallen Commanders and Scientists Amid Crackdown After Israel’s Operation Rising Lion

Tehran’s streets overflowed with mourners as Iran laid to rest top military commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, a 12-day conflict that exposed the regime’s vulnerabilities. Crowds, draped in black, waved Iranian flags and chanted anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, while trucks carried flag-draped caskets adorned with photos of the fallen. Among the deceased were Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, leader of the IRGC’s ballistic missile program, and Gholam-Ali Rashid, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya. Israel also claimed the deaths of nine senior nuclear scientists and over 20 commanders.

President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the funeral, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remained conspicuously absent, reportedly in hiding since the conflict’s end. The massive turnout, possibly spurred by the regime’s internal crackdown, hints at a nation under pressure. Reports indicate Iran has arrested over 700 individuals on espionage charges, with some facing execution. Human rights groups warn of a brutal campaign to silence dissent, as the regime convicts citizens on flimsy charges to maintain control.

Israel’s strikes revealed Iran’s military weaknesses, with analysts calling the regime a paper tiger. The internal purge, coupled with mass arrests and executions, suggests a government scrambling to project strength while grappling with its own fragility.