No sign of attack on Iran president’s helicopter before fatal crash, armed forces say

Moving briefly away from Gaza and Israel developments, Iran’s military says the helicopter carrying late President Ebrahim Raisi caught fire soon after it crashed into a mountain and there was no sign it was attacked, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The statement from the general staff of the armed forces in charge of investigating the crash was read on state television late Thursday. The statement did not lay blame for the crash but said more details would come after further investigation.

The crash on Sunday killed Raisi, the foreign minister and six other people. The general staff’s statement said communications with the helicopter contained nothing suspicious, there was no sign of anything shot at it, and its flight path did not change before the crash. Raisi was buried on Thursday.