Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s intercepted an Iranian A310 carrying aid to Yemen.
A new video, recorded with a mobile phone and released by the Iranian Press TV, shows RSAF F-15s intercepting an Iranian Mahan Air Airbus 310 on its way to deliver humanitarian aid in Yemen.
According to the Iranians, the airliner had the required diplomatic clearances to fly to Yemen via Oman’s airspace but it was intercepted and escorted by at least a couple of armed Saudi F-15s.
Photos posted by Tasnim News show that the F-15s involved in the intercept were armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles (most probably four) and carried three drop tanks to extend their endurance.
Based on the reports, the RSAF F-15Cs radioed the Airbus 310 that it could not land at Sana’a International Airport and later urged the Iranian aircrew to land at another airport “belonging to Saudi Arabia.”
However the Iranian pilots ignored the warning from Saudi jets escorting the civil plane from close distance and continued to Sana’a but they were forced to turn back as the airport was hit by a Saudi air strike which made the runway unserviceable.
According to Reuters, Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, the airport was bombed after the Iranian aircraft refused to coordinate with the coalition and the pilot ignored orders to turn back.
The incident comes days after another Iranian airplane reportedly carrying aid and medicine was prevented to enter the Yemeni airspace by RSAF jets in combat air patrol.
On Mar. 25, Saudi Arabia launched the first air strike on targets located in neighbouring Yemen to counter the Houthi offensive on Aden, the provisional capital town of the internationally recognized (yet domestically contested) Yemeni government.
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If the Iranian government really wanted the Houthis to get arms, they could’ve simply airdropped them over Yemen, as shooting down the plane would be nothing short of a declaration of war and the RSAF knows it.
They most likely wanted the aircraft to land at Bisha Airport.
I don’t think so.
If they’ve ever done that a war would have begun (I dont now about u but it’s my opinion) One of the most important reason about this is that the majority in Iran they severely hate the Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia that much that when the proxy war in syria started iranians started to engage in syria war without the support of iran’s government and few weeks ago the saudis government raped tow irani teenager boys in an Airport. The majority of Iran supports this war. And something else is that the Saudi government has proxy attacked Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan (with supporting Al Qaeda and Taliban) and she the government has attacked Yemen and Bahrain. So Iran won’t be alone in this war for sure if Iran’s government wants to engage in a war with Saudi Arabia it will be a good opportunity for these country to cooperate with Iran and get their revenge from Saudi King and princes.
And something else the Saudis Army is about 233,500 but only Iran’s army without its Basij is about 600,000 and with its Militants army (Basij) is about 6 million And with Iraq, syria, lebanon, afghanistan, bahrain and yemen’s army and Militants army it will rise so more then this. Saudi Arabia did so wrong to support itself with America and rely on her helps and create proxy wars in the neighborhoods countries.
I my self I’m waiting for a war to start and attack Saudi government and US navy in persian gulf and conquer the US bases in Arab Countries. If this happens it will be so good for our country imagine all those nuclear warheads of America that are in the military bases will all fall in our hand and all those hightech weapons will suddenly fall in our hands and we can reverse engineer them and build new ones and improve them all.
And about 13 percent of Saudi Arabia population are shia muslims that the saudi government have ignored and tortured them. If a war begins for sure they will cooperate.
So our Benefit is to fall in war with the Saudi government specially that our people will support this war.