Qatar claims to have shot down two Iranian fighter jets

Qatar’s Air Force Intercepts Iranian Fighter Aircraft

The Qatari Defence Ministry has confirmed that its air force successfully shot down two SU24 aircraft belonging to Iran. The ministry stated that the intercept occurred on Monday, following a series of retaliatory strikes launched by Iran against targets in Qatar and other countries in the region.

According to the ministry, seven ballistic missiles and five drones fired by Iran were also intercepted before reaching their targets. The Qatari government had previously condemned Iran’s actions as “reckless and irresponsible” in response to US-Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds of people across Iran since Saturday.

Iran has launched a series of strikes on targets in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other countries over the past few days. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated that the country has the right to defend itself “with all might” in response to the US-Israel attacks.

A joint statement from several countries in the region, including the US, condemned Iran’s actions as “indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories across the region”. The countries reaffirmed their “right to self-defense in the face of these attacks”.

The downing of the Iranian aircraft has been described by Al Jazeera as a “major military escalation” and marks the beginning of air-to-air combat. Iran has not immediately commented on the Qatari Defence Ministry’s statement.

Source: Al Jazeera