By Palestine Chronicle Staff
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said US fighter jets face a new reality after Iranian strikes damaged American military aircraft.
Key Takeaways
- Ghalibaf said the “era” in which US F-35 and F-15 fighter jets are “hunted” and their damage publicly acknowledged had begun.
- CBS News and Reuters previously reported that an Iranian strike on a US-used airbase in Jordan damaged roughly eight F-15s and an A-10 Thunderbolt.
- The strike forced US forces to expend roughly 30 Patriot interceptors, according to reporting citing US officials.
‘What Was Once a Nightmare Is Now Reality’
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Friday that a new era had begun in which American fighter aircraft could be hunted, tracked and damaged.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf published a table purporting to document losses and damage sustained by US aircraft, helicopters and drones during the ongoing war.
“The era when your F-35s and F-15s get hunted down and you have to report them damaged has already begun. ,” Ghalibaf wrote.
Addressing Iran’s adversaries, he added, “What was once pure nightmare fuel is now the daily reality. Live with it.”
The document shared by Ghalibaf listed damage or losses involving F-35 and F-15 fighter jets, refueling aircraft, helicopters and reconnaissance drones.
US media and a US official have confirmed damage to multiple American aircraft in at least one recent Iranian missile attack.
Iranian Strike Damaged US F-15s, A-10
CBS News reported on September 10 that an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan damaged several US military aircraft.
Approximately eight F-15 fighter jets sustained light damage before being returned to service, while an A-10 Thunderbolt was struck and lost a wing, according to sources cited by CBS.
Reuters subsequently reported the damage, citing a US official who confirmed that one A-10 was hit and roughly eight F-15s sustained light damage.
The Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said its Aerospace Force had targeted the base with solid- and liquid-fueled ballistic missiles, striking maintenance facilities and shelters housing US aircraft.
The operation followed US attacks on Iranian oil tankers.
The Iranian attack also placed considerable pressure on US air defenses. CBS reported that US forces fired more than 30 Patriot missiles while attempting to intercept the Iranian strikes.
The Wall Street Journal separately reported this week that the US military was rapidly consuming its stockpile of air-defense interceptors during the war with Iran, citing the intensive use of Patriot and THAAD interceptors against Iranian ballistic missiles.
The damage in Jordan forms part of broader US aircraft losses and damage during the war.
According to a May Congressional Research Service report cited by Reuters, 42 US military aircraft had already been lost or damaged in the conflict by that point, including aircraft lost in accidents and drones destroyed during hostilities.
Reprinted from The Palestine Chronicle
