When I heard it was a F-5, my first thought was the low radar profile. It was about the perfect plane of this strike short of a stealth aircraft. That Iranian pilot carries his balls in a wheelbarrow.

It was probably withheld at least in part because it's so embarrassing to the regime. Hubris was a big part of it. There is an illusion that the US is untouchable, but no military is. There are always little seams to be exploited by a clever and alert enemy.

Never believe your own propaganda.