For the first time, the world can clearly see two missiles - fired from an Iranian military base 8 miles from the plane - strike the plane less than 30 seconds apart.

The footage helped answer a question that had perplexed experts: why did air control lose touch with the plane's transponder just before the crash.

The plane didn't go down immediately. After the strike, the plane appears to have tried to circle back toward Tehran's international airport. But minutes later, it exploded and the debris rained down to earth, narrowly missing the village of Khalaj Abad.

Somehow, NYT reporters have confirmed that the video was filmed on the roof of a building near the village of Bidkaneh, roughly four miles from he military site.