In an action that IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said was “historic,” an Israeli F-35I fighter jet flown by a junior pilot shot down a manned Russian-made Iranian Yak-130 jet over Tehran on Wednesday. This marks the first time in history that an F-35 shot down a manned aircraft and the first time in 40 years that an Israeli pilot engaged in air-to-air combat since 1985, when Israel was engaged in a conflict with Lebanon.

“The historic interception over the skies of Tehran is an expression of the air force’s power and your personal determination. The next mission is already waiting for you,” Bar said.

“We identified the plane, locked on it and launched [a missile],” said the commander of the Nevatim Airbase, which houses the IAF’s F-35 jets. The F-35I is a unique Israeli version of the F-35 fighter jet.

The commander of the airbase, whose name was withheld, said, “The Iranian plane endangered [our] aircraft. It could have hit our plane, so we shot it down.” He said that the F-35 was conducting operations against targets in Iran when it shot down the jet, adding that when it comes to striking targets, the F-35 “knows how to do this very quickly and accurately.”

“The Iranian Air Force understands that it is inferior and under significant threat,” the military official added. “Despite this, it is trying with its remaining capabilities to carry out missions that will disrupt us. That was the situation that led to the shootdown.”

“We encounter the enemy during our sorties in Iran, but it is a weak enemy,” he said.

Unverified video on social media showed purported footage of the attack.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the IDF is expected to mark the F-35I with a victory mark, a small decal on the plane’s side to mark the pilot’s achievement.