By Desmond Nleya
TEHRAN-Thousands of mourners filled the streets of Tehran on Monday as the funeral procession for Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, got under way following two days of public mourning in the Iranian capital.
The massive procession drew crowds from across the country as Iranians paid their final respects to the leader, who was killed on February 28 in a series of Israeli and U.S. air strikes that dramatically escalated tensions across the Middle East.
The funeral comes at a time of heightened regional instability. In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces carried out fresh air strikes on the city of Nabatieh despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement signed with Lebanon last month aimed at ending hostilities.
Meanwhile, Israeli drone strikes in Gaza reportedly killed at least two Palestinians. The attacks coincided with protests outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where demonstrators called on Israel to honour commitments allowing critically ill and wounded patients to be evacuated for medical treatment.
In the occupied West Bank, tensions deepened after a four-month-old Palestinian baby died when Israeli forces allegedly prevented the child’s transfer to a hospital at a military checkpoint west of Ramallah, according to Palestinian officials.
The funeral procession for Khamenei is expected to continue through central Tehran under heavy security as Iran prepares for the next chapter following the death of its long-serving supreme leader, while the conflict across the region continues to fuel fears of further escalation.
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