News

Evening Brief: Iran Holds State Funerals, Suppressor Setbacks, Air Force to Retire all A-10s

BY Guy D. McCardle

As Iran buries its war dead, Israel pounds Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, the U.S. Air Force fast-tracks the A-10’s retirement, and Republicans hit a wall trying to deregulate gun suppressors—reminding us that whether it’s on the battlefield or Capitol Hill, the fight never really ends. Here is your SOFREP Saturday Evening Brief for June 28th, 2025.

ChatGPT said: Coffins bearing Iran’s fallen commanders roll through Tehran like a grim parade float, flanked by mourners, missiles, and a message: the regime may be wounded, but it’s far from backing down. Image Credit: Daily Sabah

Iran Holds Massive State Funerals After 12-Day Conflict with Israel

Iran has launched a full-scale state-led mourning campaign in the wake of its deadly 12-day conflict with Israel, holding massive funeral processions across the country. The centerpiece of this national display unfolded in Tehran, where Iranian state media claimed more than a million people turned out—though those numbers can’t be verified independently.

Advertisement

The funeral ceremonies honored roughly 60 individuals, including several top military brass and high-profile scientists. Among the dead: IRGC Commander Gen. Hossein Salami, ballistic missile program chief Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and the Armed Forces’ top officer, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri. Also among the dead were at least 16 nuclear and defense-related scientists and several civilians, whose coffins were carried in a dramatic procession through Tehran’s streets.

The caskets, draped in Iranian flags and decorated with portraits and flowers, were paraded atop trucks through the heart of the capital—especially down Azadi Street and into Azadi Square. Mourners filled the streets, many wearing black and waving flags, chanting the now-standard slogans of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” The whole affair was broadcast on state TV, with the usual mix of patriotic music and dramatic camera angles. Notably, the procession even included displays of Iran’s ballistic missiles—more a message to its enemies than a mourning ritual.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were both seen among the mourners, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was conspicuously absent from the public ceremony. It’s possible he participated privately, as he’s done before.

Advertisement

The Iranian regime is framing the funerals as both an homage to the “martyrs” and a show of defiance. Offices were closed to allow people to participate, and similar events are being staged in cities across the country. Beyond the grief and symbolism, this was also a calculated message: Iran’s leadership wants the world to know that even in death, it plans to press forward—angrier, louder, and more united than before.

 

Advertisement

Advertisement

Senate Roadblocks Stall GOP Push to Deregulate Firearms Suppressors

Republicans in the Senate just hit a wall in their push to roll back regulations on firearms suppressors and short-barreled rifles. Their latest attempt to strip away the $200 tax stamp and ease background checks for these items ran into trouble with the Senate parliamentarian. The problem? The provisions ran afoul of the Byrd Rule, a procedural guardrail that says you can’t stuff unrelated policy changes into a budget bill unless they directly impact federal spending in a big way. Since deregulating suppressors doesn’t exactly overhaul the Treasury’s balance sheet, it didn’t make the cut.

Gun rights supporters argue that “silencers” are mostly used by hunters and recreational shooters who want to protect their hearing, not by criminals. They say the current rules—left over from the 1934 National Firearms Act—are outdated and unnecessarily burdensome. But Democrats and gun control groups pushed back, warning that loosening these laws would be a step backward for public safety.

Now that the suppressor provisions have been stripped out or will need major reworking to pass, Republicans will need to find another legislative path. And without the 60 votes needed to clear a filibuster, that road just got a lot bumpier.

 

Air Force Fast-Tracks Retirement of A-10 Warthog Fleet

The U.S. Air Force is pulling the plug on the A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet a lot faster than anyone expected. Under the proposed 2026 defense budget, every one of the 162 remaining A-10s will be retired by the end of fiscal year 2026—a full two years ahead of schedule. It’s part of a sweeping plan to retire 340 aircraft total, making this the largest aircraft drawdown the service has seen in years.

To fund the early exit, the Air Force is asking for $57 million in the upcoming budget. The process is already underway in places like South Korea, where the 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base began pulling its 24 A-10s starting in January 2025. The full drawdown there should wrap up by the end of fiscal 2025.

Why the sudden push to retire one of the most beloved aircraft in the Air Force? Officials say the A-10, built for Cold War-era tank busting in the 1970s, just can’t cut it in the face of modern air defense systems. The brass argue that with today’s threats and tomorrow’s wars in mind, it’s smarter to invest in newer, more versatile aircraft like the F-35, F-15EX, and upgraded F-16s. The A-10’s narrow focus on close air support doesn’t fit the modern playbook of multi-domain, high-tech warfare.

But here’s the catch: Congress has to sign off on the whole thing, and that’s where things could get messy. While lawmakers have recently been more willing to allow some A-10 retirements, a full fleet shutdown is still controversial. Many in Congress, the military, and especially the veteran community argue that no aircraft matches the A-10’s sheer effectiveness at protecting troops on the ground. The concern is that no matter how advanced the F-35 or F-15EX may be, they aren’t built to fly low and slow, loiter over the battlefield, and bring the pain with the same grit and reliability as the Warthog.

In the end, there’s no one-for-one replacement for the A-10. The Air Force is betting on newer jets and better tech to fill the void. Whether that gamble pays off—or leaves ground troops without the kind of cover they’ve relied on for decades—remains to be seen. Either way, it’s clear that the end of the A-10 era is coming fast, and with it, the close of one of the most iconic chapters in American airpower.

 

Israel Hits Southern Lebanon in Escalating Clash with Hezbollah

On June 27, 2025, the Israeli military carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes in southern Lebanon, zeroing in on high ground near the city of Nabatieh. According to the IDF, the strikes targeted an underground Hezbollah facility used for what they called “fire and defense operations.” Israeli officials claim Hezbollah was trying to bring the site back online, which they say violates the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that’s been in place since November 2024.

The strikes sparked serious controversy. Lebanese authorities reported that a residential building in Nabatieh was hit, killing at least one woman and injuring more than a dozen others. Israel insists they didn’t directly target any civilian structures and blamed the explosion on a Hezbollah rocket that detonated after being struck in the air raid.

Footage on social media showed large explosions and smoke pouring from the area, backing up reports of major damage. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun wasted no time condemning the strikes, accusing Israel of routinely breaching the ceasefire. He pointed to Israel’s continued military presence in Lebanon and the uptick in airstrikes as clear violations of the agreement.

This isn’t a one-off incident either. Throughout June, Israel has ramped up its attacks in Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah targets like drone factories and weapons caches—not only in the south but even in parts of Beirut. These operations have killed a number of Hezbollah members, and in some cases, civilians have been caught in the crossfire.

Both sides are pointing fingers. Israel says Hezbollah is the one breaking the deal by rebuilding its military network. Meanwhile, Lebanese officials argue that Israel never really pulled back and continues to operate inside Lebanese territory.

Bottom line: the ceasefire is hanging by a thread. Israel is turning up the heat on Hezbollah, and the collateral damage is piling up. With each strike and counter-claim, the risk of full-blown escalation gets higher—and the region inches closer to another major flare-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertisement

What readers are saying

Generating a quick summary of the conversation...

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR