Qatar confirms downing two Iranian Su-24 fighter jets during US-Israeli war

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar has confirmed that one of its F-15 fighter jets shot down two Iranian Su-24 warplanes at the start of the US-Israeli war, according to a CNN report citing sources. The Qatari side said it had radioed the two Iranian aircraft, received no response and assessed them as hostile due to existing evidence and limited time, the report said. Qatar had previously stated that its forces responded to threats within the security conditions of the war's opening phase. Iranian commander Saeed Mohammad Bakirzadeh claimed that Qatar held three Iranian pilots in custody for months after shooting down the two Su-24s and that one crew member died. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari firmly denied the detention claims, saying Qatari rescue teams participated in the search for the pilots' remains and that Doha contacted Tehran to hand over one set of remains. Bakirzadeh had alleged that Javad Salihi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Imran Behroushye went missing, that Qatari forces took them into custody and that visits and communication were blocked. No further details were immediately available on the status of the dispute between Doha and Tehran over the incident.