Large crowds of Iranians loyal to the Islamic Republic gathered in Tehran for the first day of funeral ceremonies for the country’s former supreme leader.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli airstrikes at the start of the war.

Iranian state media says six days of ceremonies will span several locations in Iran and neighboring Iraq, before he is buried in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday.

The BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet is in Tehran as people prepare to head to the vast complex where the former supreme leader lies.

The BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, reports from Tehran on the condition that none of her material be used on the BBC’s Persian service. These restrictions apply to all international media organizations operating in Iran.