© Sputnik Screenshot/IRIB NewsUS F-15 Eagle over Syrian airspace
An Iranian airliner was intercepted over Syrian airspace on Thursday by at least one US Air Force F-15 Eagle fighter jet, making what Iranian media characterized as an "aggressive" close pass that caused the passenger plane to take evasive action.
According to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB),
Mahan Air Flight 1152 on its way to Beirut, Lebanon, from Tehran, Iran, was approached closely on Thursday by two aircraft, which identified themselves as American.IRIB initially reported just one aircraft, which was purported to be Israeli. The news outlet noted that after the "dangerous action" by the jets, the airliner pilot quickly reduced altitude to avoid a collision. Al-Hadath reported four wounded passengers, and Lebanese authorities said there were 150 passengers on board.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement later on Thursday
refuting claims the aircraft was Israeli. Meanwhile,
Syrian media has reported there were two intercepting aircraft, which were part of the US-led international coalition, and that the intercept happened near the remote at-Tanf base in extreme southeastern Syria, which the US controls.
A spokesperson from US Central Command said Thursday evening, reporting just one jet involved in the incident:
"A US F-15 on a routine air mission in the vicinity of the CJTF-OIR At Tanf garrison in Syria conducted a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 meters from the airliner this evening.
"The visual inspection occurred to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at At Tanf garrison. Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft. The professional intercept was conducted in accordance with international standards."
Citing Fadi Hassan, the head manager of Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, Reuters reported that
all wounded passengers suffered only minor injuries.Video captured on board the flight and shared on social media shows the aircraft jolting back and forth during the maneuver as passengers scream.
A video shared by IRIB shows the offending aircraft, with the silhouette of an F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter clearly visible.
The Iranian airliner later landed at Beirut airport safely and has since returned to Tehran. It's unclear if it was carrying passengers on the return flight.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was studying what happened to the plane in order to take the necessary political and legal measures in response.
Comment: Was this encounter an act of terrorism (an attack) by the Americans or a routine flyby that startled the pilot, given Mahan Air's proximity to a US base? Iran has its theory and is not shy in saying so:
UPDATE: 24/7/2020
Air Probe
Iran is demanding that the US be held accountable for scrambling a fighter jet to shadow a packed commercial plane in Syrian airspace, calling it an act of terrorism that deserves a probe by the UN-led civil aviation authority.
Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami went to great lengths to condemn the mid-air incident that saw an Airbus A310, flown by the private Mahan Air, perform an emergency maneuver after a close encounter with an American F-15 fighter jet.
"How could a passenger plane flying along a commercial route according to aviation protocols be attacked and threatened by some country's fighter jets? Attacking a passenger plane is a terrorist act."
Tehran reserves the right to "pursue legal actions" over the US' conduct, Eslami pledged, encouraging Syrian and Lebanese authorities to follow suit.
According to Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for CENTCOM: "The visual inspection occurred to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at Al Tanf garrison." He didn't explain what danger could have been posed by a commercial plane passing tens of thousands feet above the ground.
Meanwhile, Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said the harassment of the Mahan Air jet "constitutes clear violation of international law as well as aviation standards and regulations," as cited by Tasnim. The agency has urged the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to investigate the mid-air encounter.
Iranian PM Zarif pulls no punches in slamming the US with accusations including 'compounding lawlessness' amid confusing reports on the incident in the context of US illegal occupation in Syria.
UPDATE: 24/7/2020
Zarif's reactions
UPDATE: 24/7/2020
Tehran has now submitted a complaint to the ICAO stipulating the close encounter as an act of terrorism by a war plane and claims the right of legal pursuit:
Transportation Minister Mohammad Eslami stressed Tehran expects the US's "terrorist move" to be condemned by the organization. He also called on Lebanon and Syria to file their own separate complaints against the US in the ICAO in relation to Thursday's incident.
Iran is also expected to submit a letter of protest to the United Nations Security Council and to Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Mahan Air announced that its plane was flying in full compliance of international air navigation rules when Thursday's incident took place, and added that its commercial aircraft have been flying the same Tehran-Beirut for over a decade. The company confirmed that the intercept took place during a stage of the flight when passengers were allowed to unbuckle their seatbelts, and revealed that the plane's pilot had to abruptly lower the plane's altitude after receiving an alert on a possible collision.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi called the latter CENTCOM claim a "mockery."
Laya Joneydi, vice president of legal affairs in President Hassan Rouhani's administration, said that "the explanations provided so far [by the US side] are unjustified and unconvincing. The harassment of a passenger plane on the territory of a third country is a clear violation of aviation security and freedom of civilian aircraft."
Comment: Was this encounter an act of terrorism (an attack) by the Americans or a routine flyby that startled the pilot, given Mahan Air's proximity to a US base? Iran has its theory and is not shy in saying so:
UPDATE: 24/7/2020 Air Probe Iranian PM Zarif pulls no punches in slamming the US with accusations including 'compounding lawlessness' amid confusing reports on the incident in the context of US illegal occupation in Syria.
UPDATE: 24/7/2020 Zarif's reactions UPDATE: 24/7/2020 Tehran has now submitted a complaint to the ICAO stipulating the close encounter as an act of terrorism by a war plane and claims the right of legal pursuit: