Footage first released by the New York Times on Thursday appears to show an Iranian surface-to-air missile hitting a Ukrainian jetliner shortly after it departed from Tehran on Tuesday.
The ensuing crash of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 killed 176 people, including 82 Iranians and 63 Canadians.
U.S. officials said Thursday they now believe Iran shot down the plane by mistake. Iran’s surface-to-air missile system likely was on high alert hours after the country carried out an airstrike on bases in Iraq that housed American troops.
The airstrike on the bases came in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s decision to kill Major General Qassem Soleimani.
Iran is denying that it shot down the plane, accusing the U.S. of “spreading lies” about the crash.
