A United States F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at an airbase in the Middle East after conducting a combat mission over Iran, according to US military officials. The aircraft landed safely on Thursday, and the pilot is in stable condition, stated Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Central Command (CENTCOM). Hawkins said in a statement: “We are aware of reports that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing at a regional US airbase after flying a combat mission over Iran. The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition. This incident is under investigation.”
CNN quoted two anonymous sources as saying that the plane, which costs up to $100 million, was likely hit by Iran. Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement claiming it targeted a US aircraft. The US has yet to confirm why the F-35 was forced to make an emergency landing. Since fighting began on February 28, the United States has reportedly lost approximately 12 MQ-9 Reaper drones.
US officials also said five KC-135 refueling aircraft were damaged in an Iranian missile strike at a base in Saudi Arabia, although these reports have not been independently verified. Although F-35 stealth fighters have been deployed in combat operations since 2018, there have been no confirmed cases of one being struck by enemy fire. On March 1, three US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down in a friendly fire incident involving a Kuwaiti F/A-18, with all six crew members ejecting safely and being recovered.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that his country’s objectives in the war against Iran have not changed since strikes started on February 28. He added that the US has carried out strikes against 7,000 targets inside Iran and has hit more than 40 Iranian mine-laying vessels and 11 submarines. Hegseth told reporters: “Our objectives, given directly from our America First president, remain exactly what they were on day one.” He said the US goals continue to include destroying Iran’s missile launchers, degrading its defense industrial base and navy, and preventing it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Hegseth added that there was no set “timeframe” for ending the campaign. When asked on Thursday whether he intended to put more troops in the region, US President Donald Trump said he was not putting troops “anywhere”, but that if he was going to, he would not tell journalists. Earlier, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US military remained on track to achieve its objectives, and the US was striking deeper into Iranian territory every day, but acknowledged that Iran retained some missile capabilities.
Source: www.aljazeera.com