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3 clusters · 19 sources · 18 days · First seen · Last updated

Iranian Su‑24 strikes on Qatar base

Overview

In February 2026, Iranian Su‑24 bombers attacked the Al‑Udeid (Al‑Daid) air base in Qatar, a facility used by U.S. forces. The strike caused damage, after which the aircraft were engaged by air‑defence systems over the Persian Gulf.

On 29 July 2026, Iran confirmed the death of pilot Majid Kazemi, whose remains were returned to Iran for burial. Authorities continued to search for the three other crew members involved in the mission.

By 6 August 2026, the Iranian Air Force commemorated the anniversary of martyr pilot Abbas Babayi. During a televised interview, Maj. Gen. Masoud Jafari detailed the challenges of the Su-24 operation, including the heavy air-defence environment, while noting that the whereabouts of the three missing pilots remained unknown.

On 15 August 2026, the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff issued a new claim, stating that three pilots—identified as Cevad Salihi, Abdulmecid Deştiyan, and İmran Behruşiyan—have been held captive by Qatar for six months. Brigadier General Muhammed Bakırzade, commander of the Missing Persons Search Committee, stated the pilots were captured after their jets were struck by air defense systems during a combat operation return flight on 2 March.

In a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Bakırzade accused the Qatari government of violating the Geneva Conventions by denying the captives communication with their families or officials. Iran has requested the Red Cross to intervene to verify the pilots' health and facilitate their release.

Entities

Iranian Air Force · Su‑24 · Majid Kazemi · Mohammad Bagherzadeh · Muhammed Bakırzade

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

Timeline

  1. about 4 hours ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 17 sources FAST-MOVING
    Iran claims three pilots are held captive in Qatar

    Iran claims Qatar has held three military pilots captive for six months after their Su-24 fighter jets were downed during a March operation near a Qatari military base.

  2. 9 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Iranian Air Force honors martyr pilot Abbas Babayi and updates on missing Su‑24 crew

    Iran commemorated martyr pilot Abbas Babayi and, via Deputy Air Force Coordinator Masoud Jafari, detailed a Su‑24 strike on a US base in Qatar while reporting three pilots still missing.

  3. 18 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    Iran Confirms Death of Su‑24 Pilot Majid Kazemi after Qatar Base Strike

    Iran confirmed the death of Su‑24 pilot Majid Kazemi after DNA testing, following a strike on Qatar's Al‑Udeid base; his funeral will be held in Shiraz.

Sources

borsagundem.com · bstr.fi · businessdaily.gr · chn.ir · cryptobriefing.com · desitalkchicago.com · gercekgundem.com · haber16.com · haksozhaber.net · insidebusiness.ng · internethaber.com · list25.com · m.sabah.com.tr · mersinhaber.com · milligazete.com.tr · naftemporiki.gr · News18.com · tr.sputniknews.com · yenisafak.com

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history