Iran deploys new air defence system to counter US jets; vows 'full' control over airspace

TEHRAN: Iran’s military had deployed a new air defence system to strike the US jets. The same system was supposedly used in downing a US jet on Friday, according to a report published in Al Jazeera.

Iran's military command promised that Tehran would “definitely achieve full control” over its airspace after more than a month of US and Israeli aerial dominance during the war.

Meanwhile, US-Israeli strikes hit Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Saturday, killing one person, according to an AFP report. The strike targeted the Bushehr facility on Iran’s southern coast, with authorities saying the extent of the damage was not immediately clear. There was no immediate confirmation of any impact on the reactor or reports of radiation leakage.

The Bushehr plant, Iran’s only operational nuclear power facility, has previously been struck during the ongoing conflict

A US fighter jet has been shot down over Iran, according to Iranian state media, which said American forces are attempting a search and rescue operation in central parts of the country. An unnamed US official confirmed the development to Reuters.

Iran later said it had downed a US A-10 aircraft near the Strait of Hormuz, marking a significant escalation in direct confrontations.

The incident comes as US President Donald Trump pledged further strikes after the destruction of a major bridge in Iran, including attacks on civilian infrastructure and power plants. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the threat as an admission of intent to carry out a “massive war crime”.

The human toll continues to rise, with at least 2,076 people killed and 26,500 wounded in US-Israeli attacks across Iran since February 28, according to available figures.

Iran says ready to target enemy advanced fighter jets, drones

An Iranian military commander said on Saturday that Iran has developed new indigenous methods and equipment and is prepared to target enemy fifth-generation fighter jets and advanced drones.

Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, commander of Iran's Army Air Defense Force, made the remarks while inspecting defensive positions of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Iranian media.

Elhami said Iran's air defense forces had, in previous battles, shot down several advanced enemy fighter jets and more than 160 drones in joint US-Israeli incursions, including MQ-9, Hermes and LUCAS drones, as well as dozens of cruise missiles. He said the forces had taken timely and precise action before the enemy launched its attacks. 

He added that in operations carried out by the air defense units of the army and the IRGC, a number of enemy fourth-generation and fifth-generation fighter jets were hit, damaged or brought down.

Elhami said the outcome was made possible by advanced tactics, modern equipment and the innovative use of air defense systems, which threw the enemy into confusion.

According to Axios on Friday, a US F-15 fighter jet was shot down by Iranian fire over Iran, with one of the two crew members rescued by US special forces and search and rescue for the other still ongoing.