TEHRAN, Iran: The helicopter carrying Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi caught fire soon after it crashed into a mountain and there was no sign it was attacked, state media reported, citing the military’s crash investigators.
The statement from the general staff of the armed forces in charge of investigating the crash was read on state television late Thursday. The first statement on the crash did not lay blame but said more details would come after further investigation.
The crash Sunday killed Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and six other people.
The general staff’s statement said the communications between the control tower and the crew of the helicopter before the crash contained nothing suspicious. It said the last communication of the crashed helicopter was between it and two helicopters accompanying it some 90 seconds before the crash.
There was no sign of anything shot at the helicopter and its flight path did not change, the statement said.
The aging Bell helicopter went down in a foggy, remote mountainous region of Iran’s northwest on Sunday. The crash site was discovered Monday morning with all eight on board dead.
Raisi was buried in a tomb at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on Thursday.
No sign of attack on Raisi’s helicopter: Iran’s military
https://arab.news/65e4g
No sign of attack on Raisi’s helicopter: Iran’s military
- There was no sign of anything shot at the helicopter and its flight path did not change
- Raisi was buried in a tomb at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on Thursday
Spain PM urges world to ‘raise its voice’ for Palestinians
- Spain, where support for the Palestinian cause is strong, has been one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza
MADRID: Spain’s PM on Thursday called on the international community to “raise its voice” to prevent the plight of Palestinians from being forgotten, during a meeting with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also repeated Madrid’s support for a two-state solution, describing it as “the only possible solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He stressed that the recent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza must be real and not “fictitious,” and insisted that attacks on civilians must end.
“The year 2025 has been terrible for the Palestinian people,” the Socialist prime minister said as he stood alongside Abbas in Madrid.
“Genuine peace must be based on justice. Those responsible for this genocide will be held accountable, sooner or later.”
Abbas thanked Spain for recognizing the State of Palestine in May 2024 and praised Madrid’s leadership in building an international coalition to expand recognition. He also called for an end to violence in Gaza and the West Bank.
Spain, where support for the Palestinian cause is strong, has been one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 that began the war.
