Iran says it downed advanced warplane south of Qeshm Island

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that it had shot down an advanced warplane south of Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf.

In a statement carried by local media, the corps said its air defense systems “intercepted an advanced warplane belonging to the US and Israel” in the area south of the island.

The statement added that the aircraft crashed into the Persian Gulf, without providing further details.

Iranian state TV also broadcast footage it said showed the moment the warplane was hit.

The region has been on alert since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul