An Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jet shot down an Iranian YAK-130 combat aircraft over Tehran, the Israeli military said Wednesday, marking what it described as the first time in the world that an F-35 has downed a manned fighter jet.
In a statement, the military said the “Adir,” Israel’s version of the F-35 stealth fighter, carried out the interception in Iranian airspace above the capital.
The Iranian pilot took off while Israeli aircraft were operating in the area. It is not clear whether he intended to engage in an aerial battle with the Israeli pilot, who identified the aircraft and shot it down.
The Israeli Air Force’s previous air-to-air kill occurred on Nov. 24, 1985, when an F-15 “Baz” fighter shot down two Syrian MiG-23 aircraft in a dogfight over Lebanon.
The announcement came shortly after the IDF said it had launched its tenth wave of airstrikes in Tehran. In a brief statement earlier, the military said the Israeli Air Force began a large-scale series of sorties targeting infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime in the capital.
Officials said each wave involves dozens to hundreds of aircraft, operating with a varying “mission package,” alongside two standing objectives: neutralizing ballistic missile threats and suppressing Iranian air defense systems to preserve the air superiority already achieved.
Iranian media reported renewed strikes in the Tehran area, with footage showing a plume of smoke rising in eastern parts of the city. Reports in Iran also described bombings in the northwestern city of Urmia.