Iran claims to have struck US drones (Footage source: Press TV)
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that its air defense systems shot down a US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone over the central city of Isfahan on Tuesday.The IRGC said in a statement that the long-range drone was “intercepted and destroyed” by a sophisticated system that forms part of Iran’s integrated air defense network. Iranian local media published a video clip claiming responsibility for the attack, which stated, “The moment two MQ-9 drones collided and exploded in the airspace over Isfahan last night.”
As tensions rise in the Middle East, Iran earlier this week also claimed to have destroyed a US E-3 Sentry surveillance plane during a March 27 missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh.
The base, a major center for US military operations, reportedly suffered extensive damage, with at least 12 US service members injured. Photos circulating on social media allegedly show the plane on fire, although this claim has not been independently verified.The plane, identified in reports as serial number 81-0005, was parked in the taxiway at the time of the attack. While it is unclear whether it was directly hit, defense experts say even a nearby explosion could have destroyed it due to shrapnel impact and the high risk of fire, according to the military website War Zone.
