The Israeli Air Force has released footage of the downing of an Iranian fighter jet over Tehran.
In the video, which was posted today on X, the Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter can be seen striking and several seconds later, the Iranian Yak-130 jet erupts into a fireball and falls to the ground.
The dogfight marked the first ever downing of a manned aircraft by an F-35 and the first time in 40 years the Israeli Air Force has engaged in air-to-air combat with manned jets.
In the video, the Israeli pilot can be heard saying: “I executed, the target is down, we’ll continue the attack.”
"ביצעתי, המטרה נפלה, נמשיך לתקיפה": תיעוד ראשון ממטוס ה״אדיר״ (F-35I) מפיל מטוס קרב איראני (YAK-130) מעל שמי טהרן.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 5, 2026
חיל-האוויר ממשיך לתקוף עשרות תשתיות של משטר הטרור האיראני וסולל את הדרך ליצירת עליונות אווירית בשמי טהרן. pic.twitter.com/RGUX4x1bFK
The Air Force captioned the video: “[We] continue to strike dozens of infrastructures belonging to the Iranian terror regime and is paving the way to establishing air superiority over the skies of Tehran.”
According to IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the Iranian plane “posed a threat to our aircraft”.
It comes after the IDF released footage yesterday showing an airstrike against a group of Iranian soldiers operating an air defence system.
Posting the video on X, the IDF wrote: “The Air Force continues to strike at the Iranian regime's aerial capabilities: Iranian soldiers who operated air defence systems against Air Force aircraft have been neutralised.”
In the black-and-white footage, large explosions can be seen as the base comes under bombardment.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that Iran’s air defences were “gone”.
Speaking at the White House, he told reporters: “We've had a very powerful impact. Virtually everything they had has been knocked out now. Their missile count is going down.”
Echoing Trump’s statement, Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US Central Command (Centcom), the command responsible for operations in the Middle East, confirmed on Tuesday that Iran’s air defences had been “severely degraded”.
He also claimed that 17 Iranian warships had been destroyed and that there were now no regime ships operational in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane which the regime has effectively closed with threats of attacks on commercial vessels.
To get more Israel news, click here to sign up for our free Israel Briefing newsletter.