Day 18: Iranian Drone Hits Dubai Airport Fuel Tank; IDF F-35I Shoots Down Iranian Fighter Jet — Historic First

Day 18 of Operation Epic Fury / Roaring Lion. A significant escalation in the Gulf: an Iranian drone struck a fuel storage tank near Dubai International Airport, sparking a large fire and prompting Emirates airline to temporarily suspend all flights. A separate Iranian missile hit a car in Abu Dhabi, killing a Palestinian resident. The Fujairah industrial zone was also struck by drone. Saudi Arabia intercepted 37 drones in its eastern region. In a historic milestone, an IDF F-35I 'Adir' shot down an Iranian Yak-130 fighter jet over Tehran — the first time in history that a stealth aircraft downed a manned enemy jet in combat. New Israeli airstrikes hit Tehran infrastructure, with thick black smoke reported rising over the capital. An Iranian Red Crescent clinic and aid relief post were damaged in the latest Israeli raids. The US Embassy in Kuwait was struck by an Iranian missile; Secretary of State Rubio ordered it closed. The death of Abu Ali al-Askari, security commander of Kata'ib Hezbollah, was announced — killed in a March 14 Baghdad airstrike. Trump told reporters it was unclear whether Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was 'alive or not.' EU foreign ministers voted against expanding naval operations in the region.