Rep. Michael Waltz: US needs to make Iran worry about its stability after president’s death
Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the latest on the NY v. Trump trial in Manhattan and his reaction to the abrupt death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
A French TV channel reported there was a "rumor" that Iranian President Ebraim Raisi was killed by Israeli agent "Eli Kopter" after jokes about the fictitious character went viral and fooled Hamas.
The misinformation began when an account affiliated with Hamas' military wing initially blamed the Israeli Secret Intelligence Service for the crash in the Shia regime's Bam Rural District.
"People are saying the helicopter pilot was an Israeli Mossad Agent named Eli Kopter," the Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel "Al-Qassam Correspondent" said. Iran has offered no cause for the crash nor suggested sabotage brought down the helicopter, which fell in foggy, mountainous terrain.
The disinformation from Hamas was then floated by a political analyst at i24 News France, who reported on the "Hamas group" addressing the rumors about "Eli Kopter" on the air.
TOPSHOT - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 19, 2023. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
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"A Hamas group speaking on the Telegram claims that the helicopter was a Mossad agent. They even provided his name: Eli Kopter. Is it true or not? Of course it is part of the rumor mill; what seems to be unconfirmed is that from the official authority for the time being," the analyst said.
Fox News reached out to i24 for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
Raisi – known as "The Butcher of Tehran" – Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials were confirmed dead Monday after their helicopter crashed in a mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
One of the most popular accounts joking about Agent Eli Kopter is a satirical account called "The Mossad" on X.
Shortly after the news broke about the crash, "The Mossad" satire account, which maintains a pro-Israel bent, shared a fictitious dialogue between Raisi and the pilot.
"Are you sure this helicopter is safe," the Raisi character said in the meme. "Pilot Eli Kopter" answered, "Absolutely."
An Israeli official denied to Reuters the country had any involvement in the deadly crash, saying bluntly, "it wasn't us."
The deaths left the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East.
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Iran's proxy group Hamas is currently engaged in its months-long war with Israel which was ignited by the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israeli soil. Hamas murdered over a thousand people, kidnapped hundreds, and sexually assaulted and tortured civilians.
GAZA STRIP - OCTOBER 7: A bicycle was targeted and two young Palestinian militants were killed near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel on October 7, 2023 in Gaza. (Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)
The president of Iran had previously predicted there would be more terrorist attacks against Israel.
"We know that ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ operation will bring about the end of the Zionist regime," Raisi said in January, using Hamas’ name for the attack.
In April, Iran launched dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also known as drones, into Israeli territory after an attack on a consulate in Damascus, Syria, which killed seven high-ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members. Israel did not take credit for the strike on the IRGC.
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Shortly after, Iran, through its United Nations mission in New York, issued a statement that appeared to offer Israel a way to prevent further escalation if it considers the conflict "concluded."
Representatives at the U.N. Security Council hold a minute of silence to recognize the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. (U.N. )
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"The matter can be deemed concluded," the mission argued. "However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!"
Fox News Peter Aitken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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