TEHRAN — The first aircraft was downed in the early hours of Friday, and a search is going on for the pilot. The authorities are asking civilians in that area in southwestern Iran to help with that search.
The other aircraft crashed in the Gulf region, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian military said it was shot down, too. That’s an A-10 Warthog. They are talking about the search for the pilots of that plane.
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All of these statements have been issued in a very proud mood here in Iran.
There are celebrations in the streets, which we have seen every single night since the beginning of war, but there was a new vigour to those celebrations tonight. The Iranians are saying that this is what they have been promising since day one. They have been promising new surprises and saying they have capabilities that have not yet been deployed in this war, and they say that’s what became clear today.
They are promising more [attacks] and saying the Americans have been wrong in underestimating the capabilities of the Iranian army and IRGC. The message here is one of defiance and victory. People are looking at this as a great performance by the Iranian army, and this is giving new morale to the army and to the people who support the government.
The statements have been short on details. But they are confirming that those two aircraft have been shot down, and they say several helicopters and drones have also been targeted, with some of the drones shot down. And all of that – they say – shows Iran is capable of continuing this fight, and also, importantly, that they are going to have the last laugh in this showdown with the Americans.
C. Al Jazeera
