Qassem Soleimani's body was buried at night
The body of Qassem Soleimani was buried several hours into the night. At least 50 people were killed in a stampede at the ceremony, which is why the ceremony has been postponed.
The body of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, was buried in the "Golzar Martyrs of Kerman" moments after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' missile attack on the American base in Ain al-Assad in Iraq.
The funeral was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, January 7, in Kerman, but was postponed due to the crowd and the deaths of several dozen people.
Mehdi Sadafi, head of the funeral committee for Qassem Soleimani, said that due to the crowd, it was not possible to bury him and the other dead. He told ISNA that the time of the funeral would be announced later.
The head of Iran's emergency organization announced that 56 people were killed and 213 injured at the funeral of Qassem Soleimani in Kerman. Media had previously reported that 35 people were killed.
Iran's Ministry of Health says it is currently unable to confirm the number of dead and injured.
A number of participants in the ceremony were killed.
The head of Iran's Emergency Organization announced: "Due to the crowding and dense crowd of mourners in Kerman, a number of compatriots lost their lives and a number of injured people have been transferred to medical centers." The Director General of Security and Law Enforcement of the Kerman Governorate also confirmed this news.
62 people were also injured during the funeral ceremony in Tehran.
"We will burn down the place they love"
Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said at the funeral of Qassem Soleimani in Kerman: "I will say the last word first, we will take revenge; hard, firm, regretful, decisive and final, be assured, be calm."
He added in another part of his speech: "But if they make another move, we will burn down the place they love and cherish."
Previously, US President Donald Trump had threatened that if Iran retaliated, the US military would target 52 sensitive points in the country, including areas that are culturally important to Iran.
Shamkhani: There are 13 revenge scenarios.
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that 13 revenge scenarios have been proposed so far. He also claimed that even if a consensus were reached on the weakest scenario, its implementation could be a historical nightmare for the Americans.
According to Shamkhani, the "revenge operation" is not intended to be carried out as a single operation.
The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council added: "If American forces do not leave our region on their own feet and vertically, we will make sure their bodies leave horizontally."
Source: DW
