Iran says Tehran sonic booms came from MiG-29 on routine mission
Sonic booms heard over Tehran on Tuesday were from Iranian MiG-29 on a routine training flight, the Air Force said, denying any Israeli incursion into the country's air space.
Sonic booms heard over Tehran on Tuesday were from Iranian MiG-29 on a routine training flight, the Air Force said, denying any Israeli incursion into the country's air space.
“This flight, along with other flights by Islamic Republic of Iran Army fighters, is a routine and long-standing measure to ensure sustainable security in Iran’s skies and will continue in the future,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
An uneasy truce prevails between Mideast arch-enemies Iran and Israel after they traded blows in a 12-day war in June. Their rivalry persists and officials from both countries have vowed to soundly punish the other if fighting resumes.
The denial follows a report by the Israeli outlet JFeed saying Israel Air Force fighter jets briefly entered eastern Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border for reconnaissance.
Iraq’s Ministry of Defense also rejected any foreign intrusion, saying the aircraft sounds heard in several provinces were from routine Iraqi Air Force training missions.
'Psy-op'
JFeed reported that residents in Iraq’s Maysan province near Amarah heard sonic booms consistent with jets flying at high speed.
Prior to the denial from Iraq’s Ministry of Defense, Iranian news outlets offered their own analyses of the incident. Mehr News called it a baseless psychological operation, while Tabnak presented a narrative as if the incursion had actually occurred.
“What happened in Iraqi airspace was not a field operation but a psychological-media scenario aimed at casting the shadow of war, creating a sense of insecurity, and provoking Iranian public opinion,” Mehr News wrote on Wednesday.
“The goal of the operation is seen as a display of Israeli power: a response to attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq or a simulation of a possible attack on Iran via Iraqi airspace,” wrote Tabnak, closely affiliated with former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaei.
Iran’s air defenses were severely degraded during the Israeli military campaign in June, enabling Israeli and US warplanes to bomb the country more easily.
Since the ceasefire, Iran says it has rebuilt its air defense and missile capabilities.
