A U.S. F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a U.S. Air Force base in the Middle East on Thursday, CNN reported. The fighter jet was forced to land after allegedly coming under Iranian fire, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the fifth-generation stealth aircraft “was conducting combat missions over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing, CNN reported.
Hawkins added that the plane landed safely and the incident was under investigation.
We are currently waiting for a statement from the U.S. Central Command. If true, this will be the first incident in which a U.S. military aircraft has been hit by Iran since the war broke out on February 28.
F-35 jet emergency landing happens hours after Defense Secretary Peter Heggs Said that the United States had “achieved a decisive victory” in the war against Iran.
Early in the war, a tanker plane crashed in Iraq. A KC-135 tanker plane that was part of the U.S. military campaign against Iran crashed in western Iraq after another plane crashed.
While Central Command said the plane did not come under any form of fire, friendly or hostile, Iran claimed to be behind the attack on the U.S. plane.
The Pentagon later said that all six members of the tanker were confirmed to have died in the crash.
