Two officers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force whose deaths were announced Sunday were engaged in "developing arms for Lebanon's Hezbollah," Iran International reported on Monday.
Ali Kamani and Mohammad Abdus, both Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace engineers, "were not killed in accidents" as the Islamic Republic claimed, a source told the London-based news channel, which is affiliated with the Iranian opposition.
The two died in separate incidents in two different areas, but the source did not provide further details about the circumstances of their deaths.
What was clear from the information received is that the two officers did not die as a result of a car or work place accident, according to Iran International.
It is noteworthy that the source emphasized their role in developing weapons for the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
Iranian media first announced that Kamani, a relatively junior officer, died in a “car accident in line of duty” in Khomein, in central Iran.
A few hours later, news came that another aerospace Force officer had also died in the province of Semnan "on lime of duty". Iran's space launch center is located in Semnan. In the reports by the Iranian media, he was said to be working for the Defense Ministry.
The IRGC aerospace force is tasked with Iran’s missile development and space program.
Iran's defense ministry emphasized that both officers died on line of duty and called them “martyrs” without any explanations.
Last month, Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, a member of the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria, was shot dead outside of his Tehran home.
A second officer, Colonel Ali Esmailzadeh, was found dead days later at his home.
Meanwhile on Monday, The New York Times reported that Iran believes Israel killed two Iranian scientists who died within days of each other by poisoning their food.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the two recent deaths inside Iran.