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Thousands of people in Tehran defied ongoing bombardments Wednesday to publicly mourn commanders killed by US-Israeli strikes, in the largest gathering since the start of the war.In the otherwise mostly deserted Iranian capital, the funeral crowds gathered at the symbolic Enghelab Square, offering a stark contrast to the vacant avenues in surrounding areas.Mourners paid their respects under a ubiquitous security presence as special forces, heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, remained on high alert throughout the ceremony.One officer was clad in a black scarf bearing the image of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the US-Israeli strikes on February 28, after 36 years in power.Armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Moussavi, Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour, defence minister Aziz Nassirzadeh and influential security adviser Ali Shamkhani were also killed in simultaneous strikes.Wednesday, trucks carrying the coffins of the top officials and their entourage formed a procession through central Tehran.An AFP journalist saw one small coffin bearing a picture of its victim, a two-month-old baby, alongside the Iranian flag.Revolutionary Guards personnel stood guard over the sombre occasion, taking place under a grey sky and unusually cold temperatures, just days before the springtime celebration.The mourners, many of them women dressed in black chadors, bore flags and flowers to a soundtrack of religious music.Teenagers, meanwhile, held up pictures of Ali Khamenei alongside images of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in the same raid that killed his father, his wife and his mother.The 56-year-old has yet to make any public appearances since being selected for the top post at the weekend.The procession progressed along avenues lined by buildings with blown-out windows and damaged facades.On the burned-out shell of a car was emblazoned the tagline "Make Iran Great Again" -- a reference to the catchphrase used by US President Donald Trump, who has called on Iranians to rise up against the clerical state.Suddenly, the voice of an announcer cut through the ceremony to announce a new Iranian attack against its enemies.In response, the crowd chanted in unison, "Allahu akbar" (Allah is the greatest).The announcer then proceeded to sweep the crowd up into a frenzy of shouts of "Death to America!", "Death to Israel!"The show of defiance comes as the Islamic republic is embroiled in a war on several fronts, fighting its traditional foes but also launching unprecedented attacks across the wider region. 

The Israeli occupation army has continued to violate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, launching new bombardments and artillery shelling on multiple areas across the enclave on Sunday.Palestinian sources reported ongoing artillery shelling targeting the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, accompanied by intense gunfire from armored vehicles and tanks positioned along the eastern border, striking Palestinian homes and agricultural lands.In the north, Israeli occupation vehicles stationed east of Tuffah, Shujaiyya, and the Jabalia refugee camp opened heavy fire, while artillery units bombarded the eastern parts of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.Field sources also confirmed that Israeli forces continue to carry out large-scale demolitions in eastern Gaza, causing loud explosions as they destroy residential neighborhoods and homes located within the so-called “yellow line” along the separation barrier between Gaza and the Israeli-occupied territories.The violations also include the continued targeting and killing of civilians, renewed shelling across several areas of Gaza, and the ongoing closure of the Rafah border crossing, which prevents the evacuation of the wounded and sick for treatment and hinders the entry of humanitarian aid in the agreed-upon quantities and mechanisms.The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect on October 10, as part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative aimed at ending the war on Gaza.