Memorial service for General - More than 100 dead after attack in Iran
On the anniversary of the death of the powerful Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani, more than 100 people were killed in two explosions in his home town of Kerman. Around 210 other people were injured, state media reported, citing the emergency services. Iran's government called it a terrorist attack. It was the deadliest attack in the Islamic Republic's 45-year history. The government ordered national mourning on Thursday.
The background to the explosions is still unclear. Initially, no group claimed responsibility for the suspected attack. Terrorist attacks on this scale are extremely rare in Iran. According to media reports, the condition of many of the injured is critical. There is great concern that the number of victims could rise even further. Iran's Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi set off to personally supervise the care of the injured.
Iran's President Ebrahaim Raisi has condemned the terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms. According to a government statement, he instructed the authorities to alleviate the suffering of the victims and the injured. At the same time, he called for a decisive response. "There is no doubt that the perpetrators and those who ordered this cowardly act will soon be identified and (...) punished for their heinous deed," the head of government was quoted as saying.
Iran's Interior Minister had also announced that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. According to the state news agency Irna, Ahmad Wahidi said of the possible background: "We have information, but it needs to be confirmed." It was initially completely unclear who was responsible for the explosions.
Kerman is the home of Ghassem Soleimani, the former commander of the foreign units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The USA killed him in a drone attack in Iraq on January 3, 2020. Soleimani is revered as a martyr by government supporters loyal to the system. At his funeral, there was mass panic with more than 50 dead. Propaganda pictures of the general are also emblazoned on the walls of buildings in the capital Tehran.
A bang and screams - television broadcast the procession
Crowds of people made a pilgrimage through the streets of Kermani to his grave to mark the anniversary of Soleimani's death. The provincial capital is located in the Iranian province of the same name, surrounded by vast desert areas. The explosions are said to have occurred just a few hundred meters away. In a clip broadcast live on state television, a bang and screams could be heard. The videos showed panic breaking out and people fleeing the scene of the explosions.
Reporters from the state agency Irna spoke of a "horrific sound of an explosion". During a live broadcast by a state television reporter, rescuers could be seen rushing to a hospital with injured people in the background. Pictures of the attack sites showed blood-covered sidewalks, damaged vehicles and shredded clothing. Security forces cordoned off the pilgrimage site. Hospitals were put on alert.
More than a year ago, the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shiite shrine in the cultural metropolis of Shiraz. More than a dozen people were killed in the attack in October 2022.
To mark the anniversary of Soleimani's death, the Secretary General of the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, plans to give a speech in the evening. Against the backdrop of the killing of a leader of the Islamist Hamas in Lebanon, the speech is eagerly awaited. There are concerns that the violent death of Saleh al-Aruri, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, could lead to a further escalation of the conflict with Israel.
Hezbollah, which is allied with Hamas and is considered the Islamic Republic's most important non-state ally, had announced its intention to retaliate.
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- The memorial service for General Ghassem Soleimani, who was killed in a drone attack in Iraq, took place in his hometown of Kerman, Iran.
- The explosions that occurred in Kerman, near Soleimani's grave, claimed more than 100 lives and left over 210 people injured.
- The deadliest attack in the Islamic Republic's 45-year history occurred on the anniversary of Soleimani's death, and Iran's government labeled it a terrorist attack.
- After condemning the attack, President Ebrahaim Raisi of Iran called for a decisive response and promised that the perpetrators and those who ordered the attack would be identified and punished.
- Kerman is the home of General Soleimani, who was the former commander of the foreign units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and is revered as a martyr by government supporters.
Source: www.stern.de
