Qatar downs two Iranian fighter jets as conflict widens

DEVELOPING STORY, Qatari Defence Ministry also says seven ballistic missiles and five drones fired by Iran were intercepted.Published On 2 Mar 2026Qatar’s air force has “successfully shot down” two Iranian fighter aircraft, the country’s government says, as the fallout from the United States and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Iranian retaliation, grows across the wider Middle East.The Qatari Defence Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the air force downed two SU-24 aircraft while seven ballistic missiles and five drones fired by Iran were also intercepted.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israel intensifies war on Lebanon after Hezbollah attacklist 2 of 3Gas prices soar as QatarEnergy halts LNG production after Iran attackslist 3 of 3Pakistan calls troops, orders 3-day curfew as 24 killed in pro-Iran ralliesend of list“The threat was addressed immediately upon detection, in accordance with the operational plan, as all missiles were shot down before reaching their targets,” the ministry said.The Gulf country had condemned Iran for its “reckless and irresponsible” targeting of Qatari territory in response to US-Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds of people across Iran since Saturday.Iran has launched a series of retaliatory strikes on targets in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries in recent days.Reporting from the Qatari capital Doha, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi said the downing of the Iranian aircraft marks “a major military escalation”.“This represents perhaps the beginning of air-to-air combat, and that is a serious escalation in a conflict that is already spiralling three days in,” Basravi said.Iran did not immediately comment on the Qatari Defence Ministry’s statement on Monday.A spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently said the country has the right to defend itself “with all might” in response to the US-Israel attacks, which have killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.