Iran says Mahan Air passenger plane was ‘harassed’ over Syria by US fighter jets

Iran says Mahan Air passenger plane was ‘harassed’ over Syria by US fighter jets

TEHRAN, Iran – An Iranian passenger plane flying from Tehran to Beirut on Thursday was “harassed” by fighter jets, Iranian state TV said, saying the plane managed to safely land in the Lebanese capital. A U.S. official later told The Associated Press that an American fighter jet did pass by the Iranian jet, but at a safe distance.

A Lebanese airport official said the flight, Mahan Air Flight 1152, landed regularly in Beirut on Thursday evening. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists, had no further details.

There were conflicting reports as to what had happened, as Iran initially blamed Israel for the incident. Syrian state media quoted unidentified civil aviation officials in Damascus as saying two jets, suspected of belonging to the U.S-led coalition, “intercepted” an Iranian passenger plane over al-Tanf, in southwestern Syria.

U.S troops fighting Islamic State militants have established a presence in the al-Tanf area since 2016, which is near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan. The U.S. has declared it a so-called de-conflicted zone. Beyond it, Syrian forces and their Iranian allies operate, which makes it a remaining flashpoint in the region. AP