Does gdb for RX support setting breakpoints with command line?

I can’t get a breakpoint to work if I define it on the gdb command line (by using “-ex br func_name” or other permutations, such as “-ex b func_name”, “-ex break func_name”, etc.  The VS Code output console (I use the Renesas Debug extension) seems to show that gdb accepts the command.  So, I’m assuming it correctly parses the launch.json file I’m using (partial listing):

 “version”: “0.2.0”,
    “configurations”: [
        {
            “type”: “renesas-hardware”,
            “request”: “launch”,
            “name”: “Renesas GDB Hardware Debugging”,
            “program”: “${workspaceFolder}/build/build_rx66t_Debug/tester.elf”,
            “target”: {
                “deviceFamily”: “RX”,
                “device”: “R5F566TA”,
                “debuggerType”: “E2LITE”,
                “serverParameters”: [
                    “-t”, “R5F566TA”, “-uConnectionTimeout=”, “30”, “-uClockSrcHoco=”, “0”, “-uInputClock=”, “13.3000”,
                    “-uAllowClockSourceInternal=”, ” 1″, “-uFineBaudRate=”, ” 1.50″, “-w”, “0”, “-z”, “0”, “-uRegisterSetting=”, “0”,
                    “-uModePin=”, “0”, “-uChangeStartupBank=”, “0”, “-uStartupBank=”, “0”, “-uExecuteProgram=”, “0”, “-uIdCode=”, “FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF”,
                    “-uresetOnReload=”, “1”, “-n”, “0”, “-uWorkRamAddress=”, “1000”, “-uverifyOnWritingMemory=”, “0”, “-uProgReWriteIRom=”, “0”, “-uProgReWriteDFlash=”, “0”, “-uhookWorkRamAddr=”,
                    “0xfdd0”, “-uhookWorkRamSize=”, “0x230”, “-uOSRestriction=”, “0”, “-uCore=”, “SINGLE_CORE|enabled|1|main”, “-uSyncMode= “, “async”, “-uFirstGDB=”, “main”,
                    “–english”, “-ex”, “break __assert_func”
                ]
            }
        }

See last parameter above (i.e. adding a breakpoint on __assert_func() using the “-ex” command.)  If I use the gdb console to manually add the breakpoint (using “>break __assert_func”), it works.  So, the function exists, and gdb finds it in the symbol table, and can break on it.  However, it doesn’t work via the command line.  Is this a known bug, or something I’m doing wrong?