Iran Press/ Middle East: A US fighter jet came close to an Iranian passenger plane over Syrian airspace causing the pilot to change altitude quickly to avoid collision, which injured several passengers, media said.
The pilot of Mahan Airlines said that the two fighters which threatened the plane in the Syrian skies were Americans.
In a conversation that the pilot of the Mahan plane had with the pilots of the two fighters to issue a warning to observe a safe distance, they introduced themselves as American.
Meanwhile, IRIB reporter, who were on board, said two Israeli fighter jets buzzed the passenger plane of the Iranian airline "Mahan" in the Syrian skies.
After this dangerous action, the pilot of the Iranian passenger plane quickly reduced the altitude of the flight to avoid colliding with the Israeli fighter, which caused a number of passengers on the flight to be injured.
Some news sources report that the fighter was Israeli and some said was American.
Lebanon's Al-Mayadin network reported that Israeli fighters deliberately hid behind the Iranian passenger plane, intending to force the Syrian air defense to fire on the plane.
According to the report, the pilot of the passenger plane of Iran's "Mahan" airline was forced to land the plane at Damascus Damascus airport in order to continue its journey to Beirut airport after the situation normalized.
IRIB said that the passenger plane landed safely at Beirut airport.
The Israeli army said the fighter jet that disturbed the Iranian plane was not Israeli.
In response, US Central Command said a single F-15 had made a visual inspection of the Iranian airliner "in accordance with international standards" to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at the military base in Al Tanf.
Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central Command, said in a statement later Thursday that an Air Force F-15 on "a routine air mission" near a small American military base in southern Syria had conducted "a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner."
"Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft," he claimed.
Iran's Fars News Agency reported on Friday that the plane returned safely to Tehran on its way back.
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