TEHRAN, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Navy's air defense on Wednesday struck a U.S. F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet in the country's southeastern airspace.
Making the announcement in a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC noted that the fighter aircraft was hit over Chabahar County in Sistan and Baluchestan province with the IRGC Navy's missiles and crashed in the Indian Ocean.
It added it was the fourth U.S. and Israeli fighter jet hit by Iran's homegrown air defense systems in the country's airspace.
Iran's army said on Sunday its air defense targeted a hostile F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet in the country's southern airspace. The day before that, the IRGC announced that it had hit an Israeli F-16 Fighting Falcon in the country's central airspace.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East. ■
