Mossad killed Ebrahim Raisi? Iran MP hints ex-president's pager exploded on chopper

After a wave of explosions from pagers and walkie-talkies swept Lebanon on Sep 17 and Sep 18 targeting Hezbollah group members, an Iranian MP now claims that the same kind of attack might have killed former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

This came after pager and other blasts killed at least 39 people and injured over 3000 across Lebanon and Syria. Lebanon has blamed Israel for allegedly carrying out such grave sort of attacks. Israel remains silent on this.

Iranian MP Ahmad Bakshayesg Ardestani said Raisi also used to have a pager with him and an image of the deceased Iranian leader with a pager on a table surfaced online recently, which raises similar doubts.

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Ahmad believes the same kind of attack also has some link with Raisi’s death, primarily pointing fingers at Israel’s Mossad.

Raisi, who died in a chopper crash in May, was next in line to succeed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

"One likely scenario regarding the deadly helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi is the explosion of his pager," Ardestani said.

Watch |Lebanon Pager Blast: Taiwan-made pagers targeted: Reports

However, the Iranian government released a final investigation report earlier in September, stating that severe weather conditions like thick fog were the primary causes of the May helicopter crash.

But Iranian MP Ahmad reiterated his speculation and added that Iran played a role in the purchase of the pagers that exploded in Lebanon, suggesting that Iranian agencies should also probe the incident separately.

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Raisi, a hardliner who was seen as the next in line to succeed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, took a strong stance in domestic and international politics. He was a long-time member of the Assembly of Experts, which is responsible for picking a successor for the supreme leader when he dies. His helicopter crashed on May 19 in a mountainous region near the Azerbaijan border.

Raisi became president in 2021 after succeeding Hassan Rouhani. He was also infamous for the 1988 mass execution that shocked the world was gave him the name of "Butcher of Tehran'.

(With inputs from agencies)