📰 Iran Claims to Shoot Down F‑35s Amid Escalating Tensions with Israel
🔥 The Incident
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On 13 June 2025, Iran’s Air Defense Force announced it had shot down two Israeli F‑35 Lightning II stealth jets, alongside multiple enemy drones timesofisrael.com+14iranpress.com+14facebook.com+14tabnak.ir+5en.mehrnews.com+5globaltimes.cn+5.
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According to state-backed media, at least one of the pilots was captured, possibly with more casualties still under investigation .
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Iran’s TABNAK news site explicitly declared: “Two Israeli F‑35 fighter jets destroyed by Iran Army,” though did not disclose pilot status tabnak.ir.
🚫 Israel’s Rejection
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dismissed the claims as “completely baseless,” directly refuting pilot capture allegations timesofisrael.com+6globaltimes.cn+6youtube.com+6.
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There has been no independent verification from neutral international or U.S. defense sources supporting Iran’s statements.
📱 Social Media Evidence
X (Twitter):
A snapshot of early online reactions includes mashups and state-affiliated commentary:
Iran’s PR statement: “...defence forces successfully hit and destroyed two F‑35 fighter jets…” en.wikipedia.org+6news.sky.com+6iranpress.com+6
While specific blast footage circulates on X, there's no verified imagery of F‑35 wreckage or captured personnel.
Facebook:
An analysis of Iranian-affiliated media includes:
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A video posted by WION News quoting the Iranian embassy in India:
"Iran has shot down two Israeli F‑35 fire jets…" iranpress.com+6facebook.com+6en.wikipedia.org+6
This has been widely shared, but Israel labeled it “fake, baseless.”
🛡️ Context & Strategic Implications
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The alleged strike comes immediately after Israel’s Operation Rising Lion—a large-scale air assault using over 200 warplanes, including F‑35Is—that hit Iranian nuclear and military sites uk.news.yahoo.com+6facebook.com+6sandboxx.us+6timesofisrael.com+3barrons.com+3theaviationist.com+3.
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Iran responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, triggering fierce exchanges .
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Historically, stealth technology like the F‑35 is detectable under certain advanced radar conditions, per past Iranian claims sandboxx.us.
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Iran has been marketing its Bavar‑373 air-defense system as comparable to Russia’s S‑400, further bolstering its claimed capability eurasiantimes.com.
🧩 What We Know & What We Don’t
| ✅ Confirmed | ❓ Unverified |
|---|---|
| Iran responded with missile and drone strikes after Israeli attacks | The downing of two F‑35s remains unconfirmed by independent sources |
| Israel has firmly denied Iranian claims | Claims of captured pilots, especially a female pilot, are unverified |
| Social media reports source Iranian statements but provide no concrete proof |
🧠Final Analysis
While Iran’s official channels claim a major defensive victory—downing two of Israel’s most advanced jets and potentially capturing a pilot—the claims stand at odds with Israel’s categorical denials. At this time, there’s no neutral verification, and all evidence is sourced from state-controlled outlets or social media reposts. The situation remains tense and fluid, with potential implications for broader regional escalation.
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