Two Iranian bombers were shot down by Qatari fighter jets shortly before they could reach targets near the largest US military base in the Middle East, according to a report by CNN on Wednesday, citing two sources briefed on the operation.
The incident occurred Monday morning when Iran’s Revolutionary Guard dispatched two Soviet-era Su-24 tactical bombers toward al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which typically houses about 10,000 US service members. The aircraft were also heading toward Ras Laffan, a key natural gas processing facility that is central to Qatar’s economy.
According to one source cited by CNN, the Iranian jets were “two minutes" away from their targets.
A second source told CNN the aircraft were visually identified and photographed “carrying bombs and guided munitions."
Qatari authorities issued a warning to the planes over radio but received no response. The aircraft had descended to an altitude of about 80 feet in an apparent attempt to evade radar detection, the second source said.
Because of “time constraints" and “based on the available evidence," the aircraft were “classified as hostile," the second source added.
Qatar then dispatched fighter aircraft, and a Qatari F-15 engaged the Iranian planes in “aerial combat" before shooting them down, according to the source.
The Iranian aircraft crashed into Qatar’s territorial waters. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a briefing on Tuesday that a search is underway for the crews.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine confirmed the incident during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, though he did not specify the bombers’ intended target.
According to the CNN report, the incident marked the first time Iran has used manned aircraft to target a neighboring country since Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was eliminated in the first wave of US and Israeli strikes on Saturday that destroyed his compound in Tehran.
It was also the first time the Qatari air force has engaged in air-to-air combat.
In a phone call Wednesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described the incident as “escalatory" and said it demonstrated “no genuine desire" by Iran to deescalate the conflict or pursue a resolution.
“Rather, it seeks to inflict harm on its neighbors and drag them into a war that is not theirs," Al Thani said, according to a readout of the call.