Raisi's death: 'It wasn't us,' Israel official tells Reuters

Israel was not involved in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, an Israeli official told Reuters on Monday.

"It wasn't us," said the official, who requested anonymity.

Rumors circulated throughout social media Sunday night into Monday morning alleging Mossad involvement in the helicopter crash. 

"President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and a group of officials accompanying them were martyred in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran," the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said in a statement.

East Azarbaijan Province’s Governor Malek Rahmati, the head of Raisi’s guard team Mehdi Mousavi and Mohammad Ali Al-e-Hashem, the Supreme Leader’s representative in the East Azerbaijan province, were also onboard helicopter.

State media reported that rescuers located the helicopter's wreckage after a Turkish Akinci drone identified two "heat sources" in the village of Tawal.

The 63-year-old politician was in Azerbaijan on Sunday to inaugurate a dam alongside his counterpart Ilham Aliyev. 

After the ceremony, Raisi and his entourage departed in a convoy of three helicopters to inaugurate another project.

However, Raisi's helicopter lost contact shortly after taking off.