A US F-35 fighter jet was forced to conduct an emergency landing at an American base following a suspected incident involving Iranian fire, as stated by sources in the US. Capt Tim Hawkins, a representative from US Central Command, verified to CNN that the advanced stealth jet was engaged in a combat mission over Iran when the situation necessitated the emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East. Capt Hawkins assured that the aircraft landed safely, and the pilot’s condition is stable, with investigations ongoing into the incident.
According to undisclosed US sources cited by CNN, the aircraft was apparently hit by what is believed to be Iranian fire. If confirmed, this would mark the first documented instance of a US jet being targeted by Iranian fire since the conflict commenced. This development follows an earlier incident on March 2, where three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire during an Iranian air assault, as confirmed by the US military.
In that previous event, all six crew members aboard the F-15E Strike Eagles safely ejected and were reported to be in stable condition after rescue. Simultaneously, an Iranian offensive involving aircraft, missiles, and drones was in progress when the jets were shot down. Tragically, thirteen American service members have lost their lives in the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Among them, six members of a US Army Reserve unit perished in a strike in Kuwait on March 1, while another service member succumbed to injuries sustained in an attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia a week later.
Additionally, six service members were fatally injured when a US refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on March 12. The US military clarified that the crash was not a result of hostile or friendly fire and that an investigation into the cause is underway.