Following the initial reports of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister's helicopter crash and up until the official declaration of their death, despite the supreme leader Ali Khamenei's call for prayer and mourning – Iranians are celebrating worldwide. 

Civilians are seen firing celebratory fireworks in Tehran in a recent footage, with one of them saying "Let's celebrate the good news of Ebrahim Raisi's chopper crash," according to Iran International. Many more videos show Iranians cheering in response to the latest news, as well as many social media posts from across the world, celebrating using the hashtag #IranIsHappy.

Video: Celebrations in Tehran, Iran

In response, there are reports of the increasing presence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to prevent a potential uprising, followed by a statement issued by Iran's Cyber Police threatening social media users posting content that contrasts "public emotions," as posted by Iran international on X. 

Iranian-American journalist, author and women's rights activist Masih Alinejad has also expressed her glee, declaring today as "World Helicopter Day." She added this is "the only crash in history where everyone is worried if someone survived," alluding to the Iranian regime's brutal suppression of dissent and extreme violence towards women. 

Back in 2021, Alinejad spoke with Israel Hayom and stated that even then the Iranian society realized their joined enemy is the Regime, saying "I was taught to shout 'Death to Israel, death to America' and today, people are shouting 'Death to the regime.' Now the Iranian people are refusing to trample Israeli and American flags. The citizens of Iran are so brave. Our enemies aren't America and Israel, but the regime."

Videos sent to @IranIntl show a group of Iranians celebrating and dancing in front of the Iranian embassy in London after news broke on Sunday of Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash. pic.twitter.com/CqwYCABB1m

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) May 20, 2024

Jonathan Harounoff, an Israel and Iran journalist and analyst, explained the people's joyous response to Raisi's death: "Aside from being one of the most conservative presidents Iran has ever seen, Raisi rose to prominence in the Islamic Republic through the brutal judicial system where he was a member of the notorious 'Panel of Death,' sending thousands of political prisoners to the gallows. There's a reason why he earned the moniker 'Butcher of Tehran," he said to Iran International. "Widespread bureaucratic corruption, woeful economic mismanagement, sky-high inflation, high unemployment. Not to mention tight censorship and severe punishment or death for political dissent," he added. 

Wounded women dance with the news of Islamic Republic president's helicopter crash.
Sima and Mercedeh, were blinded and lost an arm during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising, are now celebrating the possible death of Raisi, the Butcher of Iran.pic.twitter.com/SZp5VIqEPI

— Masih Alinejad (@AlinejadMasih) May 19, 2024

Expressing their immense joy, a group of Iranians was seen dancing and waving the Iranian and Israeli flags in front of the Iranian Embassy in London on Sunday, as news first emerged about the crash. Videos of victims of the Regim's brutality dancing and cheering appear all over social media, one of them by Mersedeh Shahinkar, who was shot by a security agent while protesting against the death of Mahsa Jina Amini – an Iranian woman who refused to wear a mandatory hijab – causing her to lose one of her eyes, and Sima Moradbeigi, a young mother who was shot by an IRGC guard during a protest, causing her to lost mobility in her right arm. 

The post Iranians worldwide celebrate after 'Butcher' Raisi dies appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

With the final confirmation of the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, his senior deputy Mohammad Mohber has temporarily taken over but is only meant to remain in this role for up to 50 days. During this time, a special council consisting of Mohber, the Chief Justice, and the Speaker of Parliament (Majlis) is supposed to organize presidential elections.

Who will replace Raisi, a close contact whom Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei heavily relied upon? The potential candidates are familiar: Ali Larijani (66), a moderate politician who was formerly a parliament speaker but was disqualified from running in 2021; former President Hassan Rouhani (75), who is more moderate; the more hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (66); and the conservative Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (63), former Tehran mayor and current parliament speaker.

The name of Mojtaba Khamenei (54), the second son of the Supreme Leader, has also been floated. In the past, Khamenei the son, a theologian by training, was the commander of the Basij forces and the man who pushed for Ahmadinejad's election, but the hardline president later accused him of corruption concerning billions of dollars. Over the past decade, Mojtaba's name has also been mentioned as someone who could one day replace his father in the highest position in the Islamic Republic.

However, it is still too early to identify leading candidates, clarifies Dr. Ori Goldberg, an Iran expert. "Politics in Iran is always a matter of coalitions," says Goldberg. "You need to watch who is forging alliances with whom. Perhaps there will even be attempts to push a certain individual to the forefront, while the real powerbroker wants to remain behind the scenes. This is how Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani operated in relation to Khamenei's own appointment."

According to Goldberg, Raisi's death is "a test of resilience for the system. The Leader (Ali Khamenei) has lost a man who bore no small responsibility and did not hide that he consulted him on everything. It is possible that he will now promote a technocrat, or perhaps even extend an olive branch to the Iranian public. No one will act now without listening to the public. The chances of him appointing someone radical at this point sound like a highly inappropriate move." This is also the reason why Mojtaba Khamenei's chances of being appointed are slim, Goldberg believes. "He is a symbol of corruption and does not have a shred of support. If Khamenei tries to appoint him, the opposition will take to the streets, and this time they will succeed."

The post Who will be Iran's next president? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A preliminary report on the Jan. 3 AS565 Panther helicopter crash that resulted in the deaths of two Israel Air Force pilots was presented to IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin on Wednesday by a team of experts following an investigation into the incident.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Lt. Col. Erez Sachyani, 38, and Maj. Chen Fogel, 27, were killed in the crash. A third crew member, Cpt. Ron Birman, was also moderately injured, but his condition has since improved.

At this stage, the exact technical malfunction that led to the tragedy has not yet been determined, however, it is known that the pilots encountered a complex emergency that exacerbated rapidly at the late hours of the day, at an altitude of approximately 700-800 meters above sea level due to a malfunction in the helicopter's left engine that later spread to the right one as well, filling the cabin with smoke.

Less than two minutes passed from the moment the emergency was identified and declared until the crash into the Mediterranean. According to the report, there was no evidence of attempts by Sachyani and Fogel to get out of the water, most likely due to their condition. Nevertheless, the damage was relatively balanced which is what led to Birman's rescue. At the same time, given the circumstances of the accident, it appears that Sachyani and Norkin could not have been saved by rescue forces.

There was also no evidence of the helicopter being hit in the air by birds, another aircraft or a hostile entity. So far, no signs of fire have been found inside the helicopter.

The Air Force is working together with a group of experts from France, who will take the helicopter engine for further investigation to their country.

Because the reason for the crash has not yet been determined, the fleet of AS565 Panther helicopters, which was grounded following the crash, continues to be grounded.

"The initial report reflects what we know so far, but since it was only written a week and three days after the accident, many questions remain unanswered, which will be clarified later in the investigation," Norkin said. "We will leave no stone unturned to get to the truth in a professional manner and using all the necessary resources."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Preliminary report sheds light on IAF helicopter crash appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.