Iran struck and damaged five US Air Force refuelling aircraft stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing Middle East conflict involving the United States, Israel and the Islamic Republic.
The report said the aircraft were hit while on the ground during an Iranian strike in recent days. The planes were damaged but not destroyed and are currently undergoing repairs, officials told the newspaper.
“The tankers were hit during a strike in recent days. They were damaged but not completely destroyed and are now being repaired,” one official was quoted as saying, adding that the attack caused no casualties.
The development comes days after a US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations in the region, later confirmed that all six crew members on board were killed.
“The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace on March 12 during Operation Epic Fury. The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
Operation Epic Fury is the codename for ongoing US military operations targeting Iran.
CENTCOM added that the crash was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
Earlier, on March 1, three US McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle aircraft were shot down over Kuwait in what the command described as a friendly fire incident. All six aircrew members managed to eject safely.
The current conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes inside Iran. Since then, Tehran has repeatedly launched attacks targeting Israel as well as Gulf states hosting US military bases.
