Israeli F‑35I shoots down Iranian fighter jet over Tehran amid expanded strikes

An Israeli F-35I “Adir” fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 aircraft over Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday, marking what it described as the first-ever shootdown of a manned fighter by an F-35 platform.

The aerial engagement comes amid a wider Israeli offensive targeting Iran’s internal security infrastructure. The IDF said it carried out a series of strikes on Basij and internal security command centres in Tehran, which it claimed are used by the Iranian regime to maintain control across the country.

According to the Israeli military, the strikes also hit missile launchers and related systems.


In a separate development, Reuters reported citing security sources that a drone strike targeted the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in the Kurdistan region of Iraq's Kurdistan.