Hours before, the US defense secretary claimed Iran's air defenses had been 'flattened'
News Desk - The Cradle
The advanced warplane was struck at 2:50 am local time by Iranian air defense systems, the IRGC announced on its official news website on Thursday.
According to the statement, “a strategic F-35 fighter jet belonging to the hostile US Army was targeted in the sky of central Iran at 2:50 am today, using a modern and advanced air defense system belonging to the Aerospace Force of the Guard, and it was severely damaged.”
“The fate of the fighter jet is unclear and under investigation, and the likelihood of its crash is very high,” the statement said.
The IRGC added that the country's integrated air defense network has successfully downed more than 125 US and Israeli drones since the start of the war on 28 February.
Further details on the incident are still under investigation, Press TV noted.
The incident marks the first time Iran has struck an advanced US stealth aircraft with its air defenses.
Citing two sources, CNN reported on Thursday that a US F-35, which employs stealth technology to evade detection by radars, made an emergency landing at a US air base in West Asia after being struck by what is believed to have been Iranian fire.
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), said the US warplane was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing.
“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins added. “This incident is under investigation.”
Both the US and Israel are using F-35s, which cost some $100 million to produce, to bomb Iran.
Iran's successful targeting of an F-35 on Thursday comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed earlier in the day that the US is “winning decisively” and that Iran's air defenses have been “flattened.”
A week ago, a US military refueling aircraft crashed over western Iraq, killing six crew members.
US officials said neither hostile nor friendly fire was involved in the loss of the KC-135 aircraft. The tanker had been involved in ongoing US operations against Iran. Another US aircraft was involved in the incident but landed safely.
The Boeing-manufactured aircraft play a critical role in the US-Israel air war, allowing US fighter jets and bombers to extend their range and attack distant targets.
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