The Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Thursday released a video showing the exact moment its fifth generation F-35 stealth fighter aircraft shot down an YAK-130 jet of the Iranian Air Force over the skies of Tehran on Wednesday. The 17-second video showed the first kill of the F-35 stealth aircraft in what was its first air-to-air kill in decades of the fighter jet’s success.ย
“I executed the strike, the target went down, we will continue the attack: First footage from an F-35I Adir fighter jet shooting down an Yakovlev Yakโ130 over the skies of Tehran. The Israeli Air Force continues to strike dozens of infrastructure sites belonging to the Iranian terror regime and is paving the way to establish air superiority over Tehranโs skies,” the Israeli Air Forces said on X (formerly Twitter), while sharing the video.
It shared another audio clip in another post on X that showed a conversation between Israeli Air Force commander Major General Tomer Bar and the pilot of the F-35 fighter jet that shot down the YAK-130 jet.ย
“The historic downing over Tehran skies is an expression of the Israeli Air Force’s strength and your personal determination. I am proud of you all. Return in peace. The next mission is already waiting for you,” the IAF chief can be heard saying in the video.ย
US-Israel-Iran war rages on
Meanwhile, the conflict between the United States (US), Israel and Iran continued to escalate on Thursday, with Tehran launching more missiles at Tel Aviv. Iran has also continued firing missiles at its neigbhours, including Bahrain and Kuwait.ย
The Islamic Republic has claimed that it has also targeted an American tanker in the northern Persian Gulf in response to a US submarine sinking an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Amid all this, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the military units are acting largely on their own, as the country’s leadership are largely decentralised forces.ย
The US has warned Iran against further escalations, with top American officials saying that Tehran’s air defences and ballistic missiles have already been taken out. “The enemy is off balance, and we’re going to keep them off balance,” said US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at a press briefing.ย ย
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