Passengers injured as US fighter jets buzz Iranian airliner

 (July 23) An unknown number of passengers on Iranian Mahan Air Flight 152 were injured on Thursday when 2 US fighter jets approached it over Damascus, forcing the plane to alter its direction to avoid a collision.

Passengers were tossed around

The abrupt change in course tossed passengers around, and several were injured in the process. Iran's official IRIB news agency quoted a passenger describing how his head had hit the roof of the plane during the change in altitude, and video showed an elderly passenger sprawled on the floor.

Reuters reports that after the plane landed at Beirut airport all the passengers left the plane some with minor injuries according to the head of the airport. The plane returned to Tehran without incident early Friday. There has been no further word on the condition of those injured.

Earlier report claimed the jet was a single Israeli plane

This would have been consistent with the fact there has been a string of Israeli actions against Iranians. However, the pilot of the Iranian plane said that he had actually contacted the US jets who carried out the buzz who verified that they were Americans. The appended video is an erroneous report attributing the buzz to an Israeli jet.

CENTCOM confirms airliner was intercepted

CENTCOM the US Central Command says that they had intercepted the airliner in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of US ground troops stationed at the al-Tanf base within Syria near Damascus. CENTCOM confirmed the interception was of a Mahan Air flight but did not say whether there was any contact.

Mahan Air on US blacklist and sanctioned

The Iranian airline is both sanctioned and blacklisted by the US which accuses Mahan Air of smuggling arms. However, there is no indication that either of these punishments were a factor in the US action.

Previously published in the Digital Journal