Israeli officials have declared they had nothing to do with the devastating helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi yesterday.
Number of Deaths
Raisi, 63, was confirmed dead by Iranian media today along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati and Tabriz’s Friday prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem.
Two pilots and three other Iranian officials and security guards also perished in the crash in the mountainous northwest of the country.
Drone footage from Iranian and Turkish news agencies revealed the helicopter had smashed apart on landing, while clips shared by the Iranian Red Crescent showed solemn rescuers carrying corpses on covered stretchers out of the forest surrounding the crash site.
Fingers Are Pointing Blame at Israel
The incident sparked a wave of speculation as to the cause of the crash with many theorists pointing the finger at Israel.
The nation is at war with Tehran-backed Hamas in Gaza, and tensions boiled over in April when Israel and Iran exchanged rounds of direct drone and missile strikes.
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Though Israel has not released an official statement, officials who requested anonymity batted away accusations Tel Aviv was behind the crash, telling Reuters: ‘It wasn’t us’.
What Israel Think
Iran is yet to provide any details surrounding the crash, nor has it offered an explanation besides a simple statement on the poor weather conditions.
But Iranian aircraft, particularly Western-supplied models such as the US-made Bell 212 helicopter carrying Raisi, are notoriously unsafe and in a state of disrepair as the Islamic Republic has long been subject to Western sanctions that prevent access to desperately needed spare parts.
It is not known when Raisi’s helicopter was manufactured, but the Bell 212 has been in use with governments around the world for more than 50 years, first entering service in the early 70s.
