Iran begins farewell to Supreme Leader Khamenei

Iran began a days-long funeral Saturday for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at age 86 in a joint U.S. and Israeli airstrike months earlier.

Authorities unveiled the casket containing Khamenei’s body in a glass case at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, Iran’s capital.

Mourners wept at the sight, with some chanting: “Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!” Some carried banners and flags, while billboards across the city bore Khamenei’s image.

Crowds of men rhythmically beat their chests in mourning, a common practice at Shiite funerals. An outdoor stage set up at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah at his compound in downtown Tehran.

That site was destroyed in the airstrike that killed Khamenei and some of his family at the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28. The caskets of his dead family members sat beneath his, which had his black turban atop it, identifying him as a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad.

Iran’s government expects to see millions flood the streets of the capital in scenes reminiscent of the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Organizers sprayed water on the crowds and offered cold drinks to help people cope with the summer heat.