US Central Command said that an F-15 fighter jet flew about 1,000 meters from an Iranian passenger airliner over Syria, while conducting what it called a “standard visual inspection” of the aircraft.

In a release early Friday, CENTCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Bill Urban said that the F-15 was on a “routine air mission” near the al-Tanf garrison base in southern Syria at the time.

Iranian media quoted official Iranian sources as slamming the US announcement, describing the remarks by CENTCOM that the incident was as part of routine mission as ‘ironic’.

Earlier on Thursday, two US fighter jets came close to a Mahan Air passenger plane in Syrian airspace, causing the pilot to quickly change altitude to avoid collision.

A video posted by Iran’s IRIB news agency showed a jet from the window of a plane and blood on the face of a passenger – reportedly as a result from an injury sustained during the sudden altitude change.

IRIB initially reported a single Israeli jet had come near the plane but later quoted the pilot as saying there were two jets which identified themselves as American.

Source: Agencies