Iran Guards say targeted Israeli F-16 jet over country's centre

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday they had targeted an Israeli F-16 fighter jet over the country's centre.

Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on February 28, sparking a conflict that has since spread across the Middle East.

"An F-16 hostile enemy fighter jet belonging to the Zionist regime was struck at 3:45 am in central Iran," the Guards said on their Sepah News website.

The Israeli military earlier said a surface-to-air missile had been launched at an Israeli aircraft during "an operational activity" in Iran, without specifying the type of jet.

It added that "no damage was caused to the aircraft".

It was not immediately clear if the Iranian and Israeli statements referred to the same incident.

Iranian media also released an image showing smoke in the sky, saying another aircraft had been targeted, without identifying the type or whether it belonged to Israel or the United States.

AFP could not independently verify the image or what caused the smoke.

The reports came days after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a US F-35 fighter jet "was hit and seriously damaged in the skies of central Iran" .

On Thursday, CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that a US F-35 fighter jet "made an emergency landing at a US air base in the Middle East after it was struck by what is believed to be Iranian fire".