A US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing after being struck by Iranian fire on Thursday, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for US Central Command, said that the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing at US air base in the Middle East.
He added that the aircraft landed safely and the incident is under investigation.
“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition. This incident is under investigation.” Hawkins said.
The incident would be the first time Iran has hit a US aircraft in the war started in late February. Both the US and Israel are flying F-35s in the conflict; the aircraft costs upwards of $100 million.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards said that they struck and “seriously damaged” the fighter jet over central Iran.
In a statement, the IRGC said that was hit by its air defense systems at around 2.50 am early Thursday. It added that the operation came “following the successful interception of more than 125 US-Israeli drones,”
It added that the incident “reflects significant and targeted improvements in the country’s integrated air defense systems.”
This comes as the US continues to claim widespread success in its campaign against Iran.
Earlier in the day, defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US is “winning decisively” and that Iran’s air defenses have been “flattened.”
Since the beginning of the war US has lost several of its aircraft. Numerous US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait. The US Central Command described the incident as friendly fire.
