Iran holds funeral for a general who was killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has held a funeral for a high-ranking general of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who was killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria. Hundreds of mourners accompanied the flag-draped casket of Gen. Razi Mousavi from a central square of Tehran to a shrine where he was buried on Thursday. The head of the Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, praised Mousavi and vowed his death would be avenged, ideally with “the removal of Israel from the face of existence.” Israel views Iran as its greatest threat because of Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and its support for militant groups like Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran insists its regional allies act independently.