The IDF on Thursday released footage showing an Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet shooting down an Iranian fighter aircraft over Tehran, marking the first known time an F-35 has downed an enemy aircraft and the first aerial kill by the Israeli Air Force since the late 1980s.
The video, filmed from inside the cockpit of the Israeli F-35I “Adir,” captures the moment the Iranian YAK-130 jet was struck. In radio communications heard in the footage, the pilot can be heard saying: “Completed, the target is down, continuing to strike.”
'Target is down': IDF releases cockpit footage of F-35 downing Iranian jet over Tehran
(Video: IDF)
According to the IDF, the interception took place Wednesday after the Iranian aircraft took off from Mehrabad Airport in Tehran and was identified as a threat to Israeli aircraft operating in the area.
The military said the Israeli Air Force continues to strike dozens of infrastructure sites belonging to the Iranian terror regime as part of efforts to establish aerial superiority over Tehran.
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the downing of the Iranian jet reflects “the courage and determination of our pilots.”
“Behind every pilot stand the ground crews, technical teams and many others who make these operations possible,” Defrin said.
The IDF said the operation is part of a broader campaign targeting military infrastructure and command centers across Iran as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to escalate.