Sunni cleric killed in southeastern Iran by 'Zionist mercenaries'

TEHRAN — A Sunni Muslim cleric in Iran was killed on Monday by “Zionist mercenaries” outside his home in a region on the border with Pakistan that has been plagued by separatist violence, state television reported.The incident took place in southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of Iran’s poorest regions that borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.“Youssef Gargij, a Sunni cleric, was killed by Zionist mercenaries in front of his house” in the province’s capital Zahedan, IRIB reported, adding that he was a supporter of the Islamic republic.According to Iran International, an opposition media outlet broadcasting in the UK, Gargij was the second Sunni cleric killed in less than a week. Some local Iranian outlets separately said the attack was attributed to Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Baluch militant group that has carried out attacks on Iranian security forces, though no claim of responsibility was immediately reported, Iran International said. The killing came five days after Sunni Kurdish cleric Mamosta Mohammad Nezhati was reportedly killed in the country’s northwestern West Azerbaijan province.Authorities in Iran often accuse militant groups operating in the province of having ties to Israel.The region is home to a large Baloch ethnic minority, who practice Sunni Islam in Shia-majority Iran.While killings of religious figures in Iran are less common, security forces regularly clash with armed groups, including drug traffickers and separatists, in the area.On Saturday, three members of the security forces were killed in clashes with gunmen, five of whom died, according to state television.