An American F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing after reportedly being hit over Iran

A fifth-generation American F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a US military base in the Middle East after being hit, presumably by Iranian fire. This was reported by two sources familiar with the situation, according to CNN.

Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said the aircraft was on a combat mission over Iran when it was forced to make an emergency landing. He said the aircraft landed safely and the pilot is in stable condition.

“The aircraft landed safely and the pilot is in stable condition. The incident is under investigation,” Hawkins said.

This incident may be the first confirmed downing of a US aircraft by Iran since the war began in late February. Both the US and Israel are deploying F-35 fighter jets in the conflict, each costing over $100 million.

The United States has previously lost aircraft during this war, but no hits by enemy fire had been reported. Three F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences, with all six crew members ejecting. Also last week, a KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq; the causes of the crash remain unknown. The military stated that this incident was not caused by either enemy or friendly fire. All six crew members were killed.

Questions regarding the further development of the conflict remain unanswered. Earlier reports indicated that a Marine Expeditionary Unit was being deployed to the region. One US official confirmed that this refers to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa and the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group. The USS Tripoli was spotted near Singapore this week.

As the war enters its third week, senior US officials are declaring the campaign against Iran a success. Defence Secretary Pete Hagset stated that the United States is “winning decisively” and that Iran’s air defences have been “destroyed”.