Two American fighter jets approached an Iranian passenger jet over Syrian airspace, causing the pilot to quickly change altitude to avoid collisions and injure several passengers, Iran’s official IRIB news agency reported.
The agency initially said that a single Israeli plane had approached the plane, but then quoted the pilot as saying there were two planes that identified themselves as American.
In response, the US Central Command said that a single F-15 had carried out a visual inspection of the Iranian plane “in accordance with international standards” to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at the Al Tanf military base.
IRIB reported that the pilot of the airliner contacted the pilots of the plane to warn them to keep a safe distance and identified themselves as Americans. The video released by the agency showed a single plane from the plane’s window and comments from a passenger who had blood on his face.
The United States Central Command said the F-15 was on a routine mission in Syria and carried out “a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger jet at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 meters.”
“Once the F-15 pilot identified the plane as a Mahan Air passenger jet, the F-15 safely opened the distance to the plane.”
The Iranian Mahan Air plane was on its way from Tehran to Beirut and landed safely in Beirut, an airport source told Reuters.
An Israeli army spokesman had no immediate comment and there was no immediate comment from the US military.
The incident is under investigation and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the necessary legal and political measures would be taken, according to the Foreign Ministry website.
Israel and the United States have long accused Mahan Air of transporting weapons for Iranian-linked guerrillas in Syria and elsewhere.
The United States imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011, saying it provided financial and other support to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard.
Tensions have risen between Tehran and Washington since 2018, when President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with six powers and re-imposed sanctions that have hit Iran’s economy.
A passenger cited in the IRIB report described how his head hit the roof of the plane during the altitude change, and the video showed an elderly passenger lying on the ground.
All passengers left the plane, some with minor injuries, the Beirut airport chief told Reuters.
The plane arrived in Tehran in the early hours of Friday morning, the Fars news agency reported.
