Middle East crisis live: Funeral procession for supreme leader Ali Khamenei begins in Iran | Iran
important events
Dan Sabbagh
Guardian defense and security editor Dan Sabbagh published a story today about how Israel identified nearly 1,000 potential targets a day in Gaza and Lebanon during the first two years of the war. He writes:
“A total of 850,000 targets were detected in real time by the Israeli Tzayad digital army program across all the army’s battlefields between October 7 and the end of 2025,” the company said at a military conference in London.
Sabbagh also sought comment from a former senior targeting advisor and policy analyst for the US Pentagon, who said the 850,000 figure was extremely concerning.
You can read the full story here:
Khamenei’s son and Iran’s new religious leader, Mujtaba Khamenei, has not been seen at events celebrating national days of mourning so far.
On the second day of the funeral, the former leader’s three sons were also present and were seen praying behind the coffins of family members.
The new religious leader has not been seen or heard from the public since his appointment to the post in March. This is believed to be due to security concerns.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz warned Iran’s new leaders may suffer the same fate as Khamenei, he said, and “any Iranian leader who tries to implement plans to destroy Israel again will also be blocked.”
Millions gather in Tehran to mourn religious leader and take revenge on US
Patrick Wintour
Good morning and welcome to the Middle East live blog.
Today marks the beginning of the mass funeral for Iran’s former religious leader Ali Khamenei.
Millions of people gathered in the capital for a six-day funeral held in five cities for Khamenei, who was killed in the first airstrike in February when the US and Israel launched the current war in the region. He was succeeded by his son Mojtaba Khamenei.
Guardian correspondent Patrick Wintour reports from Tehran. He performed his funeral prayer this weekend ‘Imam Khomeini in Tehran created a political demonstration in the Grand Mosalla that combined pain with calls for revenge.’
You can read its latest update here:
Today’s parade follows two days of public farewell ceremonies that included calls for Donald Trump’s death.
The coffins of Khamenei and his family members who lost their lives in the attacks will be taken to Mehrabad International Airport on a 12-hour journey.
Daily life has come to a standstill since national mourning began on Saturday, with authorities closing streets and airspace to mark the occasion. The parade will end on Thursday with Khamenei’s burial at the Imam Reza shrine in his native Mashhad.
We will follow the parade as it moves towards Tehran and will also bring you the latest developments on the ongoing hostilities in Lebanon and Palestine.
