Kamal Ghorui
The Iranian Air Defense Headquarters said Sunday it intercepted and struck an ‘enemy’ F-15 fighter jet flying over Iran near Hormuz Island.In a statement released on Sunday, the air defense system said it had intercepted and fired ground-to-air missiles at the enemy fighter jet near Iran’s southern coasts and near Hormuz Island a few hours earlier. It also noted that investigations are underway to learn about the F-15’s fate.Video shared by Fars News Agency showed a clip of the fighter jet being targeted by a missile.“A short while ago, one F-15 enemy invading fighter jet in the skies over the country’s southern coasts and near Hormuz Island was targeted by the army’s air defense force’s ground-to-air systems after being intercepted and struck by a missile,” the statement read, as quoted by Fars.The latest claim comes amid rising military tensions in the region. Days ago, a US F-35 stealth fighter was damaged during a combat mission over Iran, forcing an emergency landing at a US air base in the Middle East, according to American officials.Also read: ‘Europe within Iranian missiles range’: IDF warns after Diego Garcia strike; UK says ‘no evidence’Iran claimed it had successfully struck the aircraft using its air defence systems, potentially marking the first time Tehran hit one of the United States’ most advanced jets during the ongoing conflict.The claim has not been fully confirmed by Washington, but US officials have acknowledged the aircraft was hit by what is believed to be Iranian fire.The incident also came a day after the cross-firing of missiles in the Gulf region between Iran and Israel-US reached India’s backyard, when two ballistic missiles were launched by Tehran towards Diego Garcia, a strategically important joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean.The Iranian missiles, aimed at the military facility roughly 4,000 km away, however, did not hit the base.
