Former Iranian parliament member Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani suggested that a pager, like those used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, may have exploded inside the helicopter of former Iran president Ebrahim Raisi in May, causing it to crash.
Ardestani was quoted by Iran’s media as saying, “One likely scenario regarding the deadly helicopter crash that killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi is the explosion of his pager.” “Raisi used a pager, although the type of the pager he used might be different from the ones Hezbollah forces had. However, one of the likely scenarios regarding the chopper crash is the explosion of his pager.”
On September 16 and 17, pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members reportedly exploded, killing 39 people and injuring over 3,000. Israel is suspected of being behind the attacks, though it hasn’t confirmed or denied its involvement.
Ardestani also hinted that Iran may have been involved in buying these pagers for Hezbollah. He stated, “Iranian forces were definitely involved in purchasing these pagers, and our intelligence agencies should investigate this further.”
The theory that Raisi had used a similar pager emerged last week after a photo of him and Iraq’s outgoing Parliament Speaker, Mohammad al-Halboosi, went viral. In the background, a pager was spotted on a table, but it’s unclear if it’s the same type Hezbollah commanders used.
However, the official report from Iran’s Armed Forces blames bad weather for the crash, not an explosion. Released earlier this month, the report explained that severe weather, including dense fog, caused the helicopter to crash into a mountain. All technical checks of the helicopter showed it was functioning properly before and during the flight.
Ebrahim Raisi, along with several other officials, including former Foreign Minister, tragically died when their helicopter crashed in the mountains of East Azarbaijan on May 19.
Not to mention that Iran is an ally of Hezbollah. As tensions rise between Hezbollah and Israel, the Lebanese group has now urged Tehran to join the war. But, Iran has so far refrained. As per reports, Iran has told Hezbollah that “the timing isn’t right” for launching an attack against Israel because the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian is currently in New York for the UN General Assembly.
Iran has already vowed to avenge the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the former Hamas chief who was killed in Tehran. The U.S. and Israel at the time said they were concerned Iran would conduct another missile and drone attack against Israel, similar to the attack in April. But two months later, the Iranians still haven’t retaliated.
However, Iran may be forced to enter the fray as Israel prepares for a ground invasion of Lebanon.
Israel’s army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, told a tank brigade that they are “attacking” Lebanon to prepare the ground for the possibility of their entry into Lebanon.
In response, Iran is also seems to be activating its Houthi module yet again. Iran is reportedly brokering a missile deal between Russia and Yemen-based Houthi fighters to open another front against Israel and the US.
All in all, the crisis in the Middle East is expanding drastically. With US busy with presidential elections, only a major power like Russia can help avert a crisis in the region by establishing communication lines with both Israel and Iran.