Tehran university

Iran held funeral processions on Thursday for Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh after he was killed in a strike in Tehran blamed on Israel.

The Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will lead the prayers for Haniyeh ahead of his burial in Doha, having earlier threatened a "harsh punishment" for his killing.

A potential escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East, with Iran’s direct involvement, has raised global alarm. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced plans for retaliation after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, according to three informed Iranian officials reported by the New York Times.

Early in the morning, tens of thousands of Iranians gathered in the heart of Tehran to bid farewell to their late President Ebrahim Raisi, as reported by state television, cited by AFP.

Raisi lost his life on Sunday in a helicopter crash amid adverse weather conditions in a mountainous region.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers for late president Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday as huge crowds thronged the capital Tehran for his funeral procession.

Flanked by top officials, Khamenei said prayers over the coffins of the eight dead from Sunday's helicopter crash, who also included foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Iranian protesters gathered for a third day on Jan. 13 in the capital amid public anger over the military's admission that it had shot down a civilian airliner last week, videos from inside Iran posted on social media showed.

It was not immediately possible to authenticate the video.