TEHRAN, Iran

The farewell ceremony for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike, will begin in the capital on Wednesday evening.

The head of Tehran’s Islamic Propagation Coordination Council, the body responsible for organizing such ceremonies, announced that proceedings will commence at 10 pm local time (1830GMT) at Imam Khomeini Mosalla, the grand prayer complex where Friday congregational prayers are traditionally held.

Khamenei’s body will lie in state of honor at the Mosalla, with doors open for three days to allow mourners to pay their final respects, organizers said.

Special religious and cultural programs have been scheduled for each of the three days, starting Wednesday evening.

The funeral procession will take place after the three-day mourning period. Planning is still underway, and details will be announced once finalized, organizers said.

There are conflicting reports regarding Khamenei’s place of burial. However, some media outlets report he is likely to be laid to rest in the northeastern city of Mashhad, his birthplace.

His father, a prominent cleric of his time, is also buried in Mashhad at the revered shrine of Imam Reza, which is a popular pilgrimage site in the country.

Khamenei’s slain family members, including his wife, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, will also be buried on the same day.

They were killed on the first day of the US-Israeli offensive on Saturday, which has so far claimed nearly 800 lives nationwide, including 165 schoolchildren in the southern Iranian city of Minab.

According to sources, heightened security measures will be in place for both the three-day mourning ceremony and the funeral procession, as attacks continue from both sides.