Media: Ukrainian airliner was shot down by Iranian air defense forces
The passenger plane belonging to the company Ukraine International Airlines was shot down "by mistake" by Iranian air defense forces, reports the Arab newspaper Al Hadath, citing an unnamed source.
The Iranian authorities have already rushed to declare that they were not involved in the crash of the Ukrainian airliner, stressing that the plane crashed due to technical problems.
The Boeing 737, en route from Tehran to Kyiv, crashed in the early hours of January 8 near the Iranian capital's international airport shortly after takeoff. According to preliminary data, 167 passengers and crew members were killed. According to eyewitnesses, after the crash the airliner exploded and caught fire.
On the night of January 8, Iran launched missile strikes on two U.S. Army bases in Iraq. No U.S. troops were reportedly injured, but there were "minor casualties" among the Iraqi military.
In total, the Iranians fired 10 to 15 missiles. In Iran, the strike was called revenge for the murder of the al-Quds commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qasem Soleimani.