Iran on Sunday said its Armed Forces have shot down an enemy F-15 fighter jet in the skies over the country’s southern coast. According to Iranian state media reports, the Joint Air Defense Command intercepted and fired ground-to-air missiles at the F-15 fighter jet near Hormuz Island.
"A few hours ago, an enemy F-15 fighter jet was intercepted and was fired with a missile in the sky over the southern coast of the country and around Hormuz Island, and was targeted by the Army's air defense force's surface-to-air systems," the statement said.
The Iranian Army statement added that investigations are underway to learn about the fate of the F-15.
Iran shares video of shooting down US F-15
Iranian media also shared a purported video of the downing of the F-15 fighter jet.
The US has so far not commented on the Iranian claims. Apart from the US, other Middle East nations, including Saudi Arabia, Israel and Qatar, also have F-15s in their fleet.
If confirmed, this will be the fourth F-15 the US has lost since the start of the war with Iran on February 28. Earlier this month, three US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were mistakenly shot down over Kuwait by Kuwaiti air defenses.
Iran strikes US F-35 Lightning II
Earlier, on Thursday, Iran had also claimed to have struck a US F-35 Lightning II, one of the most valuable US aircraft and the backbone of the US's fifth-generation warfighting capabilities.
This was the first time in history an F-35 has been hit by enemy fire in combat.
The IRGC noted that the interception follows the successful downing of more than 125 US-Israeli drones by Iran's defense systems, signaling significant and purposeful upgrades in the country's integrated air defense network.
While the IRGC initially suggested a high likelihood of a crash, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the aircraft was hit but managed to make a safe emergency landing at a regional base.
