Iranian President Dies In Helicopter Crash, ICC Apply For Arrest Warrant For Israeli And Hamas Leaders Over War In Gaza
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the Hamas leader and officials.
TEHRAN/JERUSALEM - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian have died in a helicopter crash after the aircraft lost maneuverability during heavy fog while navigating a mountainous area.
Also, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization Yahya Sinwar, and two other officials of the organization.
The U.S. Department of State has released a statement on the ICC application for warrants and said that it rejects the announcement and that the equivalence of Israel and Hamas by the ICC is “shameful”.
Iranian Officials Who Died In The Helicopter Crash
Iranian officials who lost their lives in the helicopter crash included:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
Head of Raisi’s Guard Sardar Seyed Mehdi Mousavi
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian
East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rahmati
East Azerbaijan Representative Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem
Helicopter Pilot Colonel Seyed Taher Mostafavi
Co-pilot Colonel Mohsen Daryanush
Flight technician Major Behrouz Ghadimi
According to Iranian state-run news IRNA, “The bodies of President Ebrahim Raisi and members of his delegation, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, have been identified and there is no need to conduct DNA tests, the head of Iran’s Disaster Management Organization has said”.
The news agency added, “All the bodies were recognizable and have been transferred to the Legal Medicine Organization,” adding that the bodies were burned, but still recognizable.
It also said, “President Raisi and his entourage, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollhian, were returning from an event on the border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam project on Sunday when their helicopter crashed in harsh weather conditions over [the] mountainous terrain of Iran’s northwest”.
The search for the helicopter crash site took place in the dense Dizmar forest in East Azerbaijan Province, IRNA stated, adding that the 18-hour operation was hindered by the heavy fog, rain, and rugged terrain in the region.
Iranian official Mohammad Hassan Nami said, “The body of Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem, Friday Prayers leader of Tabriz, was in a better condition”.
The news agency said that Raisi, along with his entourage were returning from an event on the Azerbaijanian border in order to inaugurate a dam project Sunday when the helicopter that they were in crashed in “harsh weather conditions over mountainous terrain of Iran’s northwest”.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin regarding the crash that killed the Iranian President and officials: "The United States had no part to play in that crash".
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Israeli Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Other Israeli And Hamas Officials Over Gaza War
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