American tanker planes are falling from the sky and being destroyed on the ground

A US refueling aircraft plummeted in western Iraq, killing four of its six crew members, as desperate rescue efforts continue for the two survivors, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed
Photo: ‘Daily Pakistan English News’

Five US Air Force refueling planes were struck and damaged on the ground at Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia, ‘The Jerusalem Post’ quotes.

The planes, which were hit during an Iranian missile strike on the Saudi base in recent days, were damaged but not fully destroyed and are being repaired, the WSJ said, adding that no one was killed in the strikes.

According to the WSJ report, this recent update indicates that at least seven US Air Force refueling planes have been damaged or destroyed in total since the begining of Operation Epic Fury.

This figure follows an incident on Thursday, where two KC-135 refueling planes collided, resulting in one aircraft crashing to the ground. All six crew members aboard the plane that crashed were killed, as confirmed by the Pentagon on Friday.

The collision occurred near Turaibil, along the Iraqi-Jordanian border, as reported by CBS News, citing an Iraqi intelligence source.

The second KC-135 had declared an emergency and was able to land safely in Israel after the incident.

Islamic Resistance takes credit

In the aftermath of the accident, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing the US military aircraft.

The group stated they shot down the KC-135 "in defense of our country's sovereignty and airspace."

Additionally, last week, Kuwait's air defenses mistakenly shot down three US F-15 fighter jets during active combat, an incident that US Central Command (CENTCOM)described as apparent friendly fire.

All six crew members ejected from the aircraft safely and were recovered in stable condition.

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