An Israeli F-35 scored the fighter jet’s first-ever air-to-air kill on Wednesday, downing an Iranian jet over Tehran during Operation Roaring Lion, Israel’s part in Operation Epic Fury. The Israeli army announced the kill on Wednesday,

Israel’s air force has struck deep inside Iran with devastating precision, killing even the country’s supreme leader within minutes of the war’s outbreak -- a feat experts say reflects years of elite pilot training and combat experience.

This is the first time an F-35 has shot down a manned fighter jet. We will probably get more details throughout the day, but on Mar. 4, 2026, the Israeli Defense Forces announced on social media that an F-35I Adir jet belonging to the Israeli Air Force shot down an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran.

The U.S. and Israel were hunting the vestiges of Iran’s ballistic missile and drone inventory, with Tehran’s ability to launch those systems at neighbors showing signs of diminishing—even if not eliminated—as the fighting stretched into a fifth day.

The opening hours of war in Iran included the first use of a US low-cost attack drone, and since then, more historic combat firsts have occurred.

Eleven U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth fighters have reportedly been deployed to Israel's Ovda Air Base, marking America's first operational combat aircraft deployment.

After opening with a surprise, daylight blow on Iran’s capital on Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel unleashed an expansive air campaign to bring the 47-year-old Islamic Republic to its knees almost entirely through sustained bombing raids and missile attacks on the country’s leaders and military forces.