Iranians yesterday mourned the death of president Ebrahim Raisi when his helicopter crashed into a fog-shrouded mountain, setting off a period of political uncertainty in the Islamic republic.

The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor said yesterday he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.

Here are some key facts about Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran’s first vice president who became interim president following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

The crash of a helicopter carrying Iran’s president and foreign minister comes at an especially fraught moment in the Middle East – and for Iran domestically.

Uncertainty hung over the fate of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi after state media said his helicopter had an accident on Sunday in poor weather in a western province..Iran launched a large-scale search and rescue operation in the fog-shrouded mountain area of East Azerbaijan province..

Rescuers in Iran were racing on Sunday to find the crash site of a helicopter that was carrying President Ebrahim Raisi to find out the fate of all those on board. Below is brief outline of what Iran's constitution says happens if a president is incapacitated or dies in office

Iran launched a large-scale search and rescue effort to scour a fog-shrouded mountain area after President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter went down yesterday in what state media described as an “accident”.

An Israeli strike killed 31 Palestinians and wounded 20 more in a family house in the central Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza’s civil defence agency said yesterday, as White House national security adviser travelled to the region amid US calls for a more focused military campaign.

An Iranian court has sentenced popular singer and rap artist Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, known as Tataloo, to prison for disseminating “obscene content”, state media reported yesterday.

The stranglehold on aid reaching Gaza threatens an “apocalyptic” outcome, the UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said yesterday as he warned of famine in the besieged territory.

Says Iranian official

Israeli forces battled Hamas fighters in the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza in some of the fiercest engagements since they returned to the area a week ago, while in the south militants attacked tanks massing around Rafah.

A $320m floating pier built for delivering aid has been attached to Gaza’s shore and began being used to deliver aid on Friday, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says. Washington has provided billions of dollars in aid as well as weapons that Israel has used in Gaza since October 7.

A crude oil tanker was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen’s southwestern city of Mokha overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, maritime security firm Ambrey said yesterday.

Just last week, US Representative Ogles introduced a bill called the Study Abroad Act that would take away student visas “for rioting or unlawful protests, and for other purposes”.

New divisions have emerged among Israel’s leaders over post-war Gaza’s governance, with an unexpected Hamas fightback in parts of the Palestinian territory piling pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel must comply with international law in Gaza and address the devastating humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, a group of Western nations wrote in a letter to the Israeli government seen by Reuters yesterday.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it yesterday launched “more than 60” rockets at Israeli military positions in retaliation for overnight air strikes on the country’s east.

Democrats are deeply divided over President Joe Biden’s handling of both the offensive in Gaza and the US campus protests against it, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, fraying the coalition that he relied on four years ago to defeat Republican Donald Trump.

Israeli troops fought Hamas members across Gaza yesterday, including in the southern city of Rafah that had been a refuge for civilians, in an upsurge of the more than seven-month offensive that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.