Conflicting media reports on Sunday left it unclear whether former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was killed in strikes on Tehran, after some outlets reported he died in the attack, while others said the claim could not be confirmed and no official statement was cited.
Israel National News reported that Iranian reports said Ahmadinejad was killed together with a bodyguard during an Israeli airstrike while he was under house arrest.
Ahmadinejad served as Iran's president from 2005 to 2013.
The Times of Israel reported that Iranian state media said reports of Ahmadinejad's death could not be confirmed, and it said neither Israel nor Iran had issued an official statement on the report at the time of publication.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Iranian Labor News Agency said an Israeli-U.S. airstrike that hit Ahmadinejad's residence in Tehran's Narmak area killed him and several bodyguards.
Later, ILNA said the information could not be confirmed and quoted a person described as close to Ahmadinejad as denying he died.
Newsmax could not access ILNA for verification.
During his presidency, Ahmadinejad was known internationally for defending Iran's nuclear program and for remarks that drew condemnation, including calls for Israel to be eliminated from the "pages of history" and describing the Holocaust as a myth.
His disputed 2009 reelection triggered mass protests over allegations of electoral fraud.
Amnesty International reported that during the unrest thousands were arbitrarily arrested and dozens were killed on the streets or died in detention.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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