Bahraini Shiite protesters in Sitra village chant anti-government slogans today during the funeral for a man who died Thursday during clashes with riot police. Protesters are seeking the ouster of the Bahrain monarchy, a key U.S. supporter in the region.

MANAMA, Bahrain — Thousands of mourners called for the downfall of Bahrain’s ruling monarchy and worshippers at prayers today chanted against the king as anger shifted toward the nation’s highest authorities after a deadly assault on pro-reform protesters that has brought army tanks into the streets of one of the most strategic Western allies in the Gulf.

The cries against the king and his inner circle — at a main Shiite mosque and at burials for those killed in Thursday’s crushing attack — reflect an important escalation of the political uprising, which began with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy’s power and address claims of discrimination against the Shiite majority.

The mood, however, appears to have turned toward defiance of the entire ruling system after the brutal crackdown on a protest encampment in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, which left at least five dead, more than 230 injured and put the nation under emergency-style footing with military forces in key areas.

The White House has expressed “strong displeasure” about the rising tensions in Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and the centerpiece of the Pentagon’s efforts to confront growing Iranian military ambitions in the region.

On Thursday, Bahrain’s leaders banned public gatherings to try to keep the protest movement from re-igniting. But the underlying tensions run even deeper than the rebellions for democracy that began two months ago in Tunisia and later swept away Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.