Israel Matzav

Hmmm.... UPDATE BIGGER HMMM....

Fox News - 'we report you decide' - is reporting that an Iranian fighter jet crashed near one of the country's nuclear power plants on Tuesday. The two pilots ejected safely.

The power plant was the Bushehr power plant - the one that the Russians say that they will start fueling on Saturday (Hat Tip: David K).

The Fars agency quoted local government official Gholam Reza Keshtkar as saying one of Iranian airforce's F-4 planes crashed about four miles (six kilometers) north of the city of Bushehr. The city is located 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of the capital, Tehran.

Keshtkar said the pilot and co-pilot ejected safely from the plane before it crashed but were rushed to the hospital in Bushehr. He didn't provide other details.

Another local official, Mohammad Hasan Shanbadi, said technical failure was the cause of the crash but did not elaborate. He said the plane crashed in the desert, close to an industrial center.

The Bushehr nuclear power plant — Iran's first such facility — is expected to start fueling up this weekend.

Iran purchased many U.S.-made planes, including scores of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and during the rule of the late pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Hmmm....

UPDATE 5:50 PM

DEBKA is reporting that the plan was shot down by Iranian anti-aircraft missiles (link in Hebrew, Hat Tip: David K).

Here's part of a Google translation of that article with some light editing by yours truly:

Tikedabka's military sources reported that the elephant threw the Iranian combat aircraft missile battery shot''from mobile v. Russian-made TOR-M1, which is a missile attack against air targets, including aircraft and missiles, medium-altitude flying, low, very low. Iranian hope Use of this missile to intercept the missiles, including cruise missiles, Americans or Israelis Shiitakapo reactor.

More of our sources are reporting, it is not clear why a downed fighter plane entered Iranian airspace area forbidden to fly over the reactor, its radius is 20 K.''from the reactor vessel.

The very fact that Iranian fighter plane was shot down such a small distance from the reactor - 6 K''than, or only 4 miles, points out that the anti-air defense systems of the reactor, which were already on 1 August in a plane state of alert, late notice recognized the plane late, or they tried to check with the Iranian air force plane which is, when he could not get a clear answer shot them down.

Government official from Bushire Ghulam Razah Akstacar Gholam Reza Keshtkar, said the pilot of the plane's pilot managed to activate the ejection seats and drop when they were wounded. The official said that Iranian pilots were transferred to a hospital. He refused to provide information about their condition.

Tikedabka's military sources note that the downing of the fighter plane - the Iranian bomb shows the great military nervousness prevails in Iran around the nuclear reactor from Bushire, prior to the operation on Saturday 21 August. Another reason is nervous, he released the information exclusively by the military sources of Tikedabka Aug 6 Issue No. 456 of the weekly DNW stuck - Forums - Weekly, in which three drones crashed on purpose, on Sunday, 1.8 at the main building of Iran's atomic reactor at Bushehr, and caused great panic among the population of the city who believed that the American attack began or Israel on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The crash of luck''Tim, so far their identity is not known to have caused great panic among the population of the city Busyr located near the reactor, believing that began the American or Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Great big HMMM....

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:18 PM