TEHRAN – In scenes of profound national grief, the Islamic Republic of Iran laid to rest three of its most revered military commanders on Sunday.

Major General Hossein Salami, General Amirali Hajizadeh, and General Ali Shadmani, martyred in terrorist attacks by the Israeli regime during the 12-day war on Iran, were buried amidst massive public processions, with millions vowing to continue their path of resistance.

The funerals culminated days of national mourning following the martyrdom of the commanders.

Saturday witnessed an unprecedented outpouring in Tehran, where over a million citizens flooded the streets to accompany the bodies of the martyrs in a display analysts described as a referendum of allegiance to the Islamic Revolution and its leadership.

‘The second Haj Qassem’

The body of General Salami, the esteemed former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), was laid to rest within the sacred precincts of the Shrine of Hazrat Abdol-Azim al-Hasani (AS) in Rey, south of Tehran.

Salami, a veteran commander of the Sacred Defense era (the 1980s Iraq’s aggression against Iran), was martyred alongside his brothers-in-arms.

Following a majestic funeral procession through the capital, his remains were transferred for prayers and burial.

Senior military and political figures attended the solemn ceremony. IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmail Qaani paid his respects, while Ali Larijani, Advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, hailed Salami as "the epitome of sincerity and an intelligent, consummate commander."

General Ahmad Vahidi, Advisor to the IRGC Commander-in-Chief, addressed the mourners, emphasizing the nation's indomitable spirit.

"The enemies nurse the delusion of breaking the Iranian nation's will," Vahidi declared, asserting that such "vain hopes will be buried in the grave." He vowed the Revolution's path would continue undeterred.

Concurrently, the body of General Amirali Hajizadeh, the valiant former commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, was laid to rest in Section 50 (Defenders of the Sanctity) of Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.

The ceremony drew large crowds of mourning citizens.

Hajizadeh was renowned for orchestrating pivotal operations such as 2024 Operations True Promise I and II, the 2017 Laylat al-Qadr missile retaliation against ISIS, the drone-and-missile reprisal over Marivan in September 2018, and the downing of an American Global Hawk drone in 2019.

During his tenure, the IRGC Aerospace Force underwent a transformative evolution widely regarded as its golden era.

Under his command, the force advanced from limited missile capabilities to a sophisticated, multi-layered deterrent system. Simultaneously, the drone division evolved from basic surveillance platforms to advanced offensive systems capable of coordinated swarm attacks, all integrated seamlessly with domestic air-defense radar networks.

These technological milestones were unified through indigenous command-and-control infrastructures, enabling a cohesive and formidable aerospace strike capability.

‘No hesitation in our resolve to fight’

In the western city of Hamedan, vast crowds gathered to mourn General Ali Shadmani, who served as the Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters for a few days until the Israeli regime murdered him in the recent war.

The most emotional moment came from his daughter, Mahdiyeh Shadmani. Standing beside her father's coffin, she delivered a powerful testament, rejecting despair and channeling grief into defiance.

"I recite neither lamentation nor war chant for the enemy," she proclaimed, addressing the Zionist regime and the United States directly. "Let Israel and America dream on if they think these martyrdoms, these sorrows, this longing, create even a moment's hesitation in our resolve to fight."