Shocking video apparently shows the moment that a Ukrainian airliner was struck by an Iranian missile shortly after lifting off from an airport in Tehran.
The 19-second clip, obtained by the New York Times, shows a night sky suddenly illuminated by a flash of light, followed by a deafening boom.
By the clip’s close, the sounds of sirens can be heard in the background.
US officials said Thursday that it was “highly likely” the Ukrainian International Airlines flight, which had 176 people aboard, was struck by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile early Wednesday.
There were no survivors.
The crew never made an emergency call before the Kiev-bound plane crashed to the ground in a fiery wreck while trying in vain to steer towards Khomeini International Airport, and away from homes.
Among the dead were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Brits.
Sources in the the Pentagon, as well as both the US and Iraqi intelligence communities, told Newsweek that the Boeing 737-800 was struck by a Russian-built Tor M-1 surface-to-air missile.
The plane’s downing was unintentional, the sources added, collateral damage in the immediate aftermath of Iran’s firing at US forces in Iraq as retribution for an American drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
The unintended strike came shortly after Iran unleashed a 22-missile barrage at two bases housing US troops in Iraq, amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, D.C.
