CNN: Qatari F-15s shoot down Iranian Su-24s near largest US base

Iranian military aircraft were “two minutes” away from striking Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—the largest US military base in the region—before they were shot down by Qatari F-15 Eagle fighter jets, CNN reports, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

According to one of the sources, Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-24 tactical bombers belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were detected “carrying bombs and guided munitions” toward Al Udeid, where around 10,000 US troops are usually stationed, as well as toward the Ras Laffan Industrial City natural gas processing complex in Qatar. The aircraft reportedly did not respond to radio calls.

The planes crashed in Qatari territorial waters, and a search operation for the crews is currently underway, officials said.