US military announces rescue effort after refueling plane crash in Iraq | US-Israel war over Iran news

No deaths have been reported so far, but the military said the crash involved two planes, one of which landed safely.

The United States has admitted that one of its planes was shot down in western Iraq, amid a joint military strike with Israel against Iran.

On Thursday, US Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East and parts of Asia, issued a brief statement announcing the plane’s crash and rescue efforts.

There were no immediate indications of casualties or survivors.

“US Central Command is aware of the loss of a US KC-135 refueling aircraft,” the statement said.

“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury and rescue efforts are underway.”

The statement said the crash involved two aircraft, possibly involved in a collision or close maneuver. It said the second flight “landed safely”.

“It was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the statement added.

Before the plane crash, the US military reported that seven service members had died in an ongoing military operation. A total of 140 more were injured, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, with eight facing serious injuries.

Thursday’s accident was the latest for the US military since it launched operations against Iran on February 28.

Already, three fighter jets were downed in an apparent friendly fire incident in just one day of combat on March 1.

Central Command explained that three F-15E Strike Eagles jets were “mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses” in an active combat situation, as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes across much of the Middle East.

In that incident, six aircrew aboard the fighter jets ejected safely and were recovered in stable condition.

Still, the war against Iran remains unpopular with the US public, with polls showing it is the first conflict in recent decades to have a negative approval rating from the start.

This is a breaking news story. More details to come.