US fighter jet comes close to Iranian plane in Syrian airspace

An American F-15 fighter jet came within 1,000 meters of an Iranian civilian airliner flying over southern Syria on Thursday, to carry out a visual identification of the aircraft.

ran’s official news agency quoted a passenger describing how his head had hit the roof of the plane during the change in altitude, and video showed an elderly passenger sprawled on the floor.

All the passengers left the plane, some with minor injuries, the head of the Beirut airport told a global news agency. The plane arrived back in Tehran in the early hours of Friday.

The incident is likely to ramp up tensions between longtime foes Iran and the United States.

Israel and the United States have long accused Mahan Air of ferrying weapons for Iranian-linked guerrillas in Syria and elsewhere.

The United States imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011, saying it provided financial and other support to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

Tensions have spiked between Tehran and Washington since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump exited Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have battered Iran’s economy.

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