The skies above Tehran turned into a combat zone before dawn as an Israeli F‑35I “Adir” shot down an Iranian fighter jet directly over the capital, in what officials in Jerusalem are calling a “historic turning point” in the shadow war with Iran.

According to regional security sources, Iranian radar detected suspected incoming Israeli strike aircraft and scrambled at least two fighters—believed to be upgraded MiG‑29s—to intercept. One jet climbed over the city’s northern districts, unaware that a stealth F‑35, guided by offboard sensors and US intelligence, was already stalking it from beyond visual range.

Flying virtually invisible to Iranian radar, the F‑35I locked on and fired a single air‑to‑air missile. Witnesses on the ground reported a sudden flash in the clouded sky, followed by burning debris and a spiralling fireball plummeting toward the outskirts of the city. Air‑raid sirens wailed as emergency crews raced to reported impact sites.

In Tel Aviv, the IDF confirmed an “air‑to‑air engagement resulting in a kill,” hailing it as proof that Israel can now penetrate and dominate even the most heavily defended Iranian airspace. Tehran’s military spokesman, however, denies losing a jet, accusing Israel of “psychological warfare” and vowing that Iranian missiles will answer “any violation over our capital.”

Analysts warn that the symbolism of an Israeli stealth jet downing an Iranian fighter over Tehran itself may be even more explosive than the missile that did it—pushing both sides closer to an uncontrollable air war that could redraw the balance of power across the entire Middle East.