A Turkish truck driver who was critically wounded in Iran after munitions fragments hit his vehicle during US-Israeli strikes has died in a hospital, Turkish media reported on Wednesday.
The victim, Hüseyin Fırat, 29, was from Reyhanlı, a district in Turkey’s southern Hatay province near the Syrian border.
Fırat had delivered cargo from İstanbul to Afghanistan and was heading back to Turkey when he was injured on March 6 after leaving Tehran and traveling toward Tabriz, the Anadolu news agency had earlier reported. The agency said fragments of ammunition hit his truck about 90 kilometers from Tabriz and around 600 kilometers from the Turkish border.
He was first taken to Bu Ali Sina Hospital in Khorramdarreh and then transferred on March 7 to Musavi Hospital in Zanjan, where he underwent surgery and remained in intensive care. Turkish outlets citing the Demirören News Agency and Anadolu reported on Wednesday that he died after six days of treatment and that his body was expected to be returned to Reyhanlı.
Early reports in Turkey described the incident as a direct Israeli missile strike on Fırat’s truck. Anadolu’s account was more cautious, saying the vehicle was hit by munitions fragments.
Fırat’s death came as the war expanded after the United States joined Israel’s assault on Iran in late February. The joint operation targeted Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure, with the conflict killing more than 1,300 civilians in Iran, according to state media and Iranian officials.
Turkey, which shares a border with Iran, has watched the conflict with alarm as missiles, drones and civilian traffic disruptions spread across the region. Hundreds of people fled from Iran into Turkey as the fighting intensified.