Turkey sends drones, helicopter carrying night-vision equipment to Iran

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Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced late on Sunday that the country would send drones and a helicopter carrying night-vision equipment to Iran to help locate the regime leader, who was one of many officials involved in a crash early on Sunday.

“I convey my best wishes to our neighbor, friend and brother Iranian people and government, and I hope to receive good news from Mr Raisi and his delegation as soon as possible,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a post on X on Sunday.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said in a statement that Iran had requested a night vision search-and-rescue helicopter from Turkey.

The Turkish Akinci drone entered Iranian airspace early on Monday morning and is now using its advanced thermal cameras and night vision capabilities to scan the area of the helicopter crash site. This drone also has the capability to carry air-to-air missiles and can fly continuously for 25 hours.

A helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi takes off, near the Iran-Azerbaijan border, May 19, 2024. The helicopter with Raisi on board later crashed. (credit: Ali Hamed Haghdoust/IRNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS )

Iranian news agency Anadolu reported later on Monday overnight that the Turkish UAV has identified a source of heat that is suspected to be the crash site of the helicopter carrying Raisi and has shared the coordinates with Iranian authorities.

Tasnim news reported a group of senior IRGC commanders and deputy ministers of the Interior Ministry  are designing new plans on-site for quickly reaching the exact location of the suspected helicopter crash.

The news agency later reported from the crisis management headquarters at the Songun copper mine site that crisis management officials and specialists are monitoring the area of the suspected helicopter crash moment by moment.

However, Tasnim news later reported that after an investigation of two possible locations, no traces of the president were found. The news agency added that teams were dispatched to the coordinates identified by the Turkish drone for investigation.

Russian support in the search for Raisi

According to Monday overnight Iranian reports, Russia has dispatched from Zhukovsky Airport to Tabriz two advanced aircraft, three helicopters, and about 50 professional mountain rescue personnel. Additionally, the reports indicate search teams have examined satellite maps of the area where the helicopter carrying Iran’s president crashed.

In a meeting of President Putin and the Iranian ambassador, Putin stated, “We are deeply saddened by the helicopter incident involving the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iranian media reported.

Russia is ready to extend help to Iran in connection with the crash of a helicopter carrying the country’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

“Russia is ready to extend all necessary help in the search for the missing helicopter and the investigation of the reasons for the incident,” Zakharova wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Zakharova said Russia was closely following rescue efforts to locate the helicopter carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, adding: “We sincerely hope that they are alive and that nothing is threatening their lives and health.”

Russia and Iran have been developing political, trade and military ties, with Iranian authorities saying military cooperation with Russia is expanding day by day.

Others offering support in locating Raisi

The Iraqi government said in a statement it had instructed its interior ministry, the Red Crescent and other relevant bodies to offer help to neighboring Iran in the search mission.

The Iraqi Red Crescent announced that 10 search and rescue teams consisting of 50 people were prepared to be sent to Iran by air to assist in the search operation for the helicopter carrying the Raisi, according to a later report on Arab media. 

Qatar is ready to provide “all forms of support” for Iran’s search efforts after a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed on Sunday, the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.

This is a developing story. 



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