The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied reports circulating on social media that a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle crashed in Iran.
Reports had claimed that a F-15E Strike Eagle went down in southwestern Iran. Responding to these claims, CENTCOM said the information was incorrect.
"Rumors circulating on social media of a U.S. F-15E crash in Iran early Wednesday are baseless and NOT TRUE,” the United States Central Command wrote in an ‘X' post.
ALSO READ | Hot Or Cold? Crude Oil Prices Swing Sharply, Albeit Only Due To A Confusion
This comes after several media reports claimed that the jets crashed in Iran.
An open-source conflict monitoring account on X, OSINTdefender also had earlier posted that an F-15E Strike Eagle crashed during a strike mission over southwestern Iran. The account later stepped back from its claim after the US issued its official statement.
The account had allegedly written: "After speaking to several direct sources, I now feel confident in reporting that an F-15E Strike Eagle with the US Air Force crashed early Wednesday during a strike mission over Southwestern Iran. The cause of the crash is still unknown, though at least one source attributed it to Iranian air defenses, with both the Pilot and Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) able to successfully eject over Iran,” the account wrote.
Three US Jets Crashed So Far
In a separate press release issued on Sunday, March 1, CENTCOM provided details about a different incident involving US aircraft over Kuwait.
“At 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident.”
“During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the statement added.
ALSO READ | Video: Iranian Drones Strike Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Airport, Two Civilians Injured
According to CENTCOM, the three aircraft were mistakenly engaged by Kuwait's air defense systems during active combat operations.
So far, the US has lost three F-15E Strike Eagles in what has been described as “friendly fire” by Kuwait's air defence.
After the three fighter jets went down, all six crew members ejected safely. They were later recovered and reported to be in stable condition.
The Kuwait Army also confirmed the crashes. It acknowledged that the aircraft were downed by its air defense systems and said its efforts helped ensure the safety of the crew members.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.