Iran claims downing US 'Lucas' drone

Iran's military has claimed that it shot down a US 'Lucas' drone over the skies of Bandar Abbas, amid ongoing military tensions between the two countries.

According to a statement by Iran's armed forces, a hostile drone was detected in the airspace of Hajjiabad area in Bandar Abbas county, Hormozgan province, following which air defence units successfully destroyed it.

The claim came hours after Iran reported fresh US airstrikes and missile attacks on military and infrastructure sites in Bushehr, Khuzestan and Hormozgan provinces. Tehran also claimed its rail network between Tehran and Mashhad was damaged in the attacks.

In response, Iran announced it had launched missile and drone strikes on US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, and accused Washington of violating a June 17 agreement brokered by Pakistan.

The claims of downed drone and retaliatory strikes could not be independently verified.