At the funeral of General Qassem Soleimani on Monday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei openly cried over the death of his top military leader.
Soleimani – head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization – was killed early Friday along with another key military leader, in a strategic airstrike ordered by President Trump. The aggressive move sent shockwaves throughout the region and has been followed by threats from Iran and more U.S. strikes targeting pro-Iran assets.
At Soleimani’s state-organized funeral Monday, Khamenei, who worked closely with the general for decades, uttered an emotional prayer.
“Oh Allah, they are in need of your mercy, and you are exalted above punishing your servants,” said Khamenei, standing over Soleimani’s casket and surrounded by Iranian military and political figures.
“Khamenei’s voice cracked under the weight of the moment during a funeral procession unlike any in Iran’s recent history,” The Associated Press reports.
“The funeral showcased the depth of the bond Khamenei had with the slain general and gave insight into how Soleimani’s death is being felt personally by the supreme leader. It could also impact how Khamenei responds to the United States,” AP underscores.
In addition to breaking down during the ceremony, Khamenei demonstrated his personal connection with the slain general by making “a rare visit to Soleimani’s home the day he was killed to offer condolences to his grieving widow and grown children,”AP notes.
In a series of tweets Friday, Khameini celebrated Soleimani’s “martyrdom” and vowed “severe revenge” on “the criminals” responsible for his death.
Soleimani was targeted just a few days after the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by a group of pro-Iran militants. In a statement issued after the strike that took out Soleimani, the U.S. Department of Defense noted that the embassy attack was “approved” by Soleimani and that he was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
“General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” the Defense Department stated in the release issued soon after the attack. “He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.”
The U.S. State Department announced in April 2019 that Soleimani was responsible for military operations that resulted in 17 percent of the deaths of U.S. soldiers during the Iraq War (2003-2011). Along with overseeing all Iranian and Iran-supported operations against the U.S. and Coalition troops during the war, Soleimani trained Iraqi militants how to “manufacture and use especially deadly roadside bombs against U.S. troops after the invasion of Iraq,” as reported by The Associated Press.
Trump has strongly defended his decision to take out Soleimani, pointing to his murderous past and the continued threat he posed to Americans.
“General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more…but got caught!” Trump tweeted Friday morning. “He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself.”
“While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country,” Trump continued. “They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!”
Related: Michael Moore Issues ‘Personal Appeal’ To Iran, Gets Pummeled