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A U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jet was hit by Iranian forces and had to make an emergency landing at a U.S. airbase on Thursday. This incident marks the first time an American military aircraft has been targeted by Iran’s military since the conflict began.
Shortly after the incident, former President Donald Trump addressed reporters, asserting that Iran’s anti-aircraft capabilities had been neutralized. He confidently stated, “Nobody is even shooting at us.”
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, confirmed that the jet was flying over Iranian airspace when it was forced to land. “The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins reported, noting that an investigation is underway. Details about any injuries to the pilot remain undisclosed.
This strike on the advanced $100 million fighter jet occurs amidst heightened tensions in the ongoing conflict. The situation escalated as Trump publicly disagreed with Israel over military actions targeting an Iranian gas field, which ignited the Gulf region and prompted retaliatory measures against America’s Arab allies.
The attack on the $100 million state-of-the-art fighter jet comes at a perilous moment in the war as Trump himself broke with Israel last night over strikes on an Iranian gas field that set the Gulf ablaze, sparking retaliatory strikes on America’s Arab allies.
Iran’s barrage continued Thursday as drones struck a major oil refinery in Haifa, Israel, sparking yet more market turmoil.
USÂ crude rocketed by 4.9 percent, while Brent crude – the global benchmark – spiked by 3 percent, hitting $111 per barrel.
As the war entered its 19th day, Iran launched multiple assaults at crucial Gulf oil refineries and closed a Saudi oil port on the Red Sea.Â
A US F-35 stealth fighter jet, which cost upwards of $100 million, was struck by Iran and forced to make an emergency landing at a US air base on Thursday
Less than an hour after the jet was hit, Donald Trump told reporters that Iran’s anti-aircraft weaponry was eliminated, adding: ‘Nobody is even shooting at us’
It is unclear if the jet’s pilot suffered any injuries from the incident
The Trump administration continues to claim the war is a resounding success.
Trump’s Defense Secretary has repeatedly claimed that the US military maintains widespread aerial and naval superiority across Iran airspace.
Hegseth said at a Thursday press briefing in the Pentagon that Iran’s air defenses have been completely ‘flattened’ by US-Israeli strikes.Â
Trump launched Operation Epic Fury three weeks ago alongside Israeli military after killing the country’s supreme leader.
Israel targeted one of Iran’s critical gas field in the South Pars region this week.Â
Tehran responded on Wednesday by bombing of energy sites in Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The attacks have sent global oil markets into a tailspin.
Hegseth said at a Thursday press briefing in the Pentagon that Iran’s air defenses have been completely ‘flattened’ by US-Israeli strikes
Tehran responded on Wednesday by bombing of energy sites in Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The attacks have sent global oil markets into a tailspin
Hegseth said at a Thursday press briefing in the Pentagon that Iran’s air defenses have been completely ‘flattened’ by US-Israeli strikes
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, taxies on the flight deck aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on Wednesday
American sailors observing as an F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 31, approaches the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), during Operation Epic Fury
Hegseth holds a briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, March 19
An Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopter fires rockets while flying along the border between northern Israel and southern Lebanon on Wednesday
A US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, flies over Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), during Operation Epic Fury
Smoke billowing from the Mina Petroleum facility at Salalah Port in Oman on Monday
The interior of a destroyed apartment, with the Tel Aviv skyline visible in the background, following an overnight Iranian missile strike on Thursday
A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut’s Bashoura neighborhood early on Wednesday
Trump speaks to Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine as he departs the White House on March 18
Gulf allies demanded the Trump administration halt all US and Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reported.Â
Gulf officials said they feel as though Israeli strikes have left them vulnerable in the war.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday night, Trump accused Israel of ‘lashing out in anger’ and claimed that the US ‘knew nothing of the attack’ which resulted in the bombing of energy sites in Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Trump has previously asked Israel to refrain from strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure amid growing concern over soaring prices as he faces crucial midterm elections in November.
America’s Arab allies were furious at Israel’s attack and the US failure to prevent it.
Trump threatened to ‘massively blow up the entirety’ of Iran’s South Pars gas field if it continues to target refineries.