The helicopter that crashed with the Iranian president on board was an American Bell 412, AP reports.

What is known about this machine:

▪️It is a mass model but quite old in its design;

▪️It is an improved version of the Bell 205, and the 205, in turn, is a modified civilian version of the utilitarian army helicopter Bell UH-1 Iroquois from the Vietnam War;

▪️It can carry eight to nine passengers on board alongside two pilots. The maximum take-off weight is 5 tons, and the flight altitude is 5.3 thousand meters;

▪️Its engine is reliable: if it is properly maintained, there should be no problems;

▪️At one time, Iran had about 10-12 such helicopters.

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There is currently no information about the exact location of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister, Sputnik's correspondent Shiva Abshenas reports from the national emergency headquarters of the Iran's Red Crescent Society.

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The exact location of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister has been identified and a signal from the phone of one of the crew members has been received from there, Tasnim News Agency quoted IRGC as saying

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The Turkish Defence Ministry said it had provided Iran with an Akıncı drone and a helicopter with a night vision system to take part in the search for the helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi

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Israel risks a ‘military coup’ and creation of Palestinian state in its biggest crisis ever - expert

Israeli War Cabinet Minister and former Army General Benny Gantz threatened to resign unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepts his plan for the resolution of the Gaza conflict. The plan in question involves the demilitarization of the enclave and the creation of a multinational civilian administration.

While Gantz set the deadline for this plan at June 8, Netanyahu claimed that accepting these demands would end in a defeat for Israel.

Commenting on the conundrum, Tel Aviv-based international relations expert Dr. Simon Tsipis explains that Gantz’s plan would ultimately result in the creation of a Palestinian state, which is unacceptable for Zionist factions currently controlling the government.

Netanyahu thus finds himself in quite a predicament as giving concessions to Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who urged Netanyahu to declare that Israel has no plans to establish military control over Gaza, would cause Zionist leaders like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to pull out of the coalition, and vice versa.

“This is clearly the biggest crisis in Israel’s history,” Dr. Tsipis remarks, arguing that the Israeli government now finds itself on the brink of collapse.

He also highlights another aspect of the problem: both Gantz and Gallant are former Israeli generals.

“There may be a risk of a military coup, because if Gantz and Gallant – they are former generals and former heads of the general staff – if they decide to seize power and call upon their former colleagues, then this move would mean a military coup in Israel, the ouster of Benjamin Netanyahu by convincing him to relinquish his power,” Dr. Tsipis speculates.

Whether he makes concessions to Gantz or not - either way, Netanyahu may be looking at the collapse of his government and the end of his political career, he stresses.

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The imam of Tabriz city, who was in the helicopter with the President Raisi, was in contact twice after the hard landing and reported feeling unwell, Iran's deputy foreign minister said

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How countries reacted to the crash of the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter:

🇷🇺 Russia is ready to provide all necessary assistance in the search for the missing helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

🇹🇷 "Turkiye is in close coordination with Iran and is ready to provide any assistance in the search for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter," Turkish President Erdogan stated.

🇦🇿 "We are very concerned about the news that the Iranian President's helicopter has made an emergency landing and we are ready to provide all assistance in this regard," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

🇵🇰 "We are looking forward to good news. We pray and wish health to the honourable President and all the people of Iran," Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif said.

🇮🇳 "I deeply regret the reports of the crash of the Iranian President's helicopter. We express our solidarity with the people of Iran in these difficult times and pray for the President and his delegation," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said it was following the news with concern and stood by its sister country, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The foreign ministries of 🇶🇦 Qatar and 🇦🇲 Armenia said the countries are ready to provide all necessary support to the situation of the Iranian president's helicopter.

🇮🇶 Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has expressed great concern over the crash of the helicopter of the Iranian president and his satellites.

"The leadership and people of Yemen support the people of Iran and its leadership in their difficult situation. We ask God to bring back Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and his comrades safely," said Mehdi Al-Mashat, head of 🇾🇪 Yemen's Supreme Political Council.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered two advanced aircraft, helicopters and 50 professional mountain rescuers to be sent to Tabriz to help in the search for Iranian leader Ibrahim Raisi's helicopter, Iranian news agency Tasnim reports, quoting Igor Levitin, Russian Presidential Advisor.

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The drone Akıncı sent by Turkiye to participate in the search for the crashed helicopter carrying the Iranian president has entered Iranian airspace, according to Flightradar24.

Akıncı's flight is the most tracked flight on the portal, with more than 30,000 people following it.

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The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has confirmed the dispatch of a group of rescuers to search for Iranian President Raisi's helicopter.

The group includes 47 specialists, high-clearance equipment, as well as a BO-105 helicopter for the search from the air. Specialists of the combined group of Ministry's "Tsentrospas" detachment and "Leader" centre are on standby.

Special equipment is being loaded at Zhukovsky airport near Moscow and preparations are under way for the flight to Iran's Tabriz.

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Vladimir Putin is closely monitoring the situation with the Iranian president's helicopter that made a hard landing, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Necessary instructions have been given to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Russian Defence Ministry, helicopter groups for the search and rescue operation have been prepared," he said.

Peskov also specified that helicopter groups and a team of 60 rescuers have been prepared for the search and rescue operation in Iran.

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