Tehran reports US attack jet shot down near Qeshm Island

Iranian authorities have reported the downing of a second US aircraft within 24 hours, stating that a US A-10 attack plane was shot down in the southern part of the country.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a representative of the central headquarters of Iran’s military command “Khatam al-Anbiya,” said the aircraft was brought down near Qeshm Island, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB.

“Another advanced combat aircraft of the enemy was also shot down at the southern tip of Qeshm Island; it crashed between Hengam and Qeshm islands, sinking forever in the waters of the Persian Gulf,” Zolfaghari said.

Earlier reporting by The New York Times, citing two US officials, said that a US A-10 attack aircraft had crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. According to those sources, the pilot was not injured, though the cause of the incident was not disclosed.

By Tamilla Hasanova