Iranian bombers came within minutes of striking the largest military base housing US troops in the Middle East before Qatari planes shot them down in their first aerial combat mission, two sources briefed on the operation told CNN. Due to “time constraints” and “based on the available evidence,” the aircraft were “classified as hostile,” the second source added. Qatar then dispatched its warplanes, and a Qatari F-15 fighter engaged the Iranian jets in “aerial combat” before downing them, the second source added. US Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged the incident in a briefing on Wednesday without specifying the Iranian bombers’ target. “Qatari fighters for the first time have shot down two Iranian bombers on route to their location,” he told a briefing at the Pentagon.

Source: Egypt Independent March 05, 2026 22:27 UTC