TEHRAN- Iran’s air defense units have announced that they shot down another enemy fighter jet, this time in the country’s southern skies.

According to a statement from the Army's Public Relations Office, the Joint Air Defense Command successfully tracked an intruding F-15 fighter jet near Hormuz Island, off the southern coast, and struck it with a surface-to-air missile. Authorities are now investigating the fate of the aircraft and its pilot, the statement added.

The downing comes a day after Iran's air defense units intercepted and damaged an Israeli F-16 fighter jet, following a strike on an American F-35 warplane the previous day.

In a statement Saturday, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said the F-16 was targeted and damaged at 3:45 a.m. local time by "modern air defense systems." A source later told the Tasnim news agency that the system was made in Iran. The jet managed to escape to a neighboring country.

On Friday, Iran hit and damaged an American F-35 in the country's central skies—the first time that U.S. warplane model has ever been intercepted. That aircraft managed to flee Iran too, with U.S. media later reporting that the pilot was receiving medical care.

Iran also struck an F-16 in its southwestern territory during the first week of the war.

Earlier, Iran had intercepted three F-15s over Kuwaiti territory. U.S. Central Command initially attributed the losses to "friendly fire," but the aircraft had been hit in three separate locations.

Iranian air defense units have come a long way since the 12-day war in June 2025. Since the latest conflict began on February 28, they have struck around 200 enemy drones and missiles, including advanced Hermes and Heron drones, as well as Tomahawk missiles.