Israel’s military said an F-35I stealth fighter shot down an Iranian aircraft over Tehran this week, marking what officials describe as the first confirmed air-to-air kill by the advanced jet and the Israeli Air Force’s first dogfight with a manned aircraft in four decades.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a video on Thursday showing the moment the Israeli jet destroyed a Russian-made Yak-130 over the Iranian capital. The footage captures the aircraft erupting in flames after being struck.

“ביצעתי, המטרה נפלה, נמשיך לתקיפה”: תיעוד ראשון ממטוס ה״אדיר״ (F-35I) מפיל מטוס קרב איראני (YAK-130) מעל שמי טהרן.

חיל-האוויר ממשיך לתקוף עשרות תשתיות של משטר הטרור האיראני וסולל את הדרך ליצירת עליונות אווירית בשמי טהרן. pic.twitter.com/RGUX4x1bFK

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 5, 2026

“Completed, the target is down, the target is down, continuing to strike,” the F-35I pilot can be heard saying in radio communications included in the video.

According to the military, the Iranian aircraft was shot down after it posed a threat to Israeli jets operating in the area. The F-35I that fired the missile was in the middle of targeting Iranian regime sites in Tehran when it encountered the aircraft.

Fighting between Iran and the U.S. and its allies began on Saturday, when Israel and the U.S.  launched a coordinated military campaign against Iranian targets. The strikes were aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear program, which Washington and Tel Aviv say poses a threat to global security.

The Yak-130, developed in Russia and produced since the 1990s, is typically used as an advanced trainer for pilots who later fly frontline aircraft such as the Su-57. It can also be configured as a light attack aircraft.

Meanwhile, the F-35I is Israel’s customized variant of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that serves as the backbone of the country’s air fleet.

According to the Israeli military, the incident marks the first time the fifth-generation stealth fighter has shot down a manned aircraft in combat.

It also marked the first time in about 40 years that Israeli fighter jets engaged in air-to-air combat with a manned aircraft. The last such incident occurred on Nov. 24, 1985, when an Israeli F-15 shot down two Syrian MiG-23 fighters over Lebanon.