Iranian brigadier general personally led the mission, flying a Su-24 in a suicidal assault on a U.S. military base—only to be shot down just two minutes from the target.
On July 29, Iran's military confirmed through forensic examination and DNA matching that Air Force Brigadier General Majid Kazemi had died during an assault operation on the U.S. base at Al-Udeid in Qatar on March 2. His body was repatriated to Tehran, where a ceremony welcoming him back was presided over by the Air Force Deputy Commander.
Let’s first examine this "nine lives out of ten" mission.
On the morning of March 2, two Iranian Su-24s took off from Shahid Dowlatabadi Base in Shiraz, targeting the U.S. military’s largest Middle East base—Al-Udeid (home to approximately 10,000 troops)—and the Ras Laffan natural gas facilities. To evade radar detection, the aircraft flew at an ultra-low altitude of just 24 meters above sea level. The Qatari Air Force’s F-15s issued warnings via radio, but received no response. Just two minutes away from the target, both Su-24s were simultaneously shot down. Their wreckage fell into Qatari territorial waters. All four crew members went missing, and it wasn’t until five months later that one of their identities was confirmed.
The most striking aspect? The brigadier general himself was on board. According to conventional military logic, a general should have been safely commanding from a command center—but Kazemi was the core instructor behind Iran’s low-altitude penetration tactics. Unable to overcome the technological gap, Iran pushed the "highest decision-making authority" to the final mile, turning its most experienced pilot into the most expensive guidance system.
Moreover, the Su-24 is an outdated platform from the 1960s–70s Soviet era. Breaking through the layered air defense network surrounding Al-Udeid—comprising radar systems, Patriot batteries, THAAD interceptors, and F-15 fighters—was nearly impossible from the start.
Yet Iran deliberately chose this gesture: sacrificing a general’s life to send a message to Washington—demonstrating that Iran’s Air Force dares to use manned aircraft to directly attack a U.S. core base. While drones and missiles represent “mechanical revenge,” this tactical operation failed. But by giving up the lives of four pilots, Iran obtained something worth more than a single missile: forcing the U.S. military to reassess the assumption that “Iran would never go all-in.” This also confirms Iran’s tragic choice under significant equipment disparities.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872190018921603/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.