Strana 25
March 2 against Qatar did not go unpunished. Two
Iranian Su-24 aircraft approached at low altitude
over the Strait of Hormuz, flying only about
25 meters above sea level. They came within just
two minutes of flight from the U.S. base Al Udeid
when they were intercepted and shot down by
a Qatari F-15QA fighter. The wreckage fell into the
water, and the crews did not survive.
Qatar is a small country with three million
inhabitants, but it has a heavily armed military.
Its fighter fleet includes 30 Rafale aircraft,
20 Eurofighter Typhoons (plus several two-seat
versions), and 46 F-15QA aircraft from the F-15EX
Eagle II family. These were the first kills in the
history of the Qatari Air Force.
Another Iranian aircraft was shot down
on March 4 directly over Tehran. It was
a subsonic training and light combat aircraft, the
Yak-130. What such an aircraft was doing in the air
during active combat operations is unclear. In any
case, it posed no serious opponent for the Israeli
F-35I Adir. This was the first time in history that
an F-35 shot down a manned enemy aircraft. Until
then, F-35s had only recorded kills of drones and
cruise missiles.
Friendly fire
The U.S. Air Force also suffered losses. The
first incident occurred on March 2, when three
F-15E aircraft were shot down over Kuwait.
It turned out they had fallen victim to friendly
fire from a Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter. All six
crew members successfully ejected and
An Iranian Su-22 shortly before being destroyed. Photo from open sources
An Iranian Il-76 in the gunsight. Photo from open sources
Burning Iranian aircraft at an airfield. On the left is the Il-76 from
the previous image. Photo from open sources
Destruction of an Iranian C-130. Photo from open sources
On the first day of the attack, February 28, a school
in the city of Minab was hit. More than 150 people were
killed, including 120 children. The school was struck
three times; the second strike caused the most
casualties, when children had gathered in one place.
U.S. President Donald Trump long denied responsibili-
ty, even suggesting that the Iranians had attacked the
school themselves. However, it was hit by U.S. Tomahawk
missiles, the remains of which were found in the ruins.
The building had been part of a neighboring military
complex for years, but after 2013 it was separated by
a fence and functioned as a school for more than
10 years. This suggests that the Americans did not
update their old intelligence when planning the attack,
pointing to rushed planning of the entire operation.
It was the deadliest attack on civilians during the war
up to the ceasefire.
Photo: Mehr News Agency / Abbas Zakeri
OPERATION EPIC FURY
INFO Eduard
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May 2026