A US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing after being struck by Iranian fire on Thursday, CNN reported,citing two sources familiar with the matter.According to the report, Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for US Central Command, said that the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing at US air base in the Middle East.He added that the aircraft landed safely and the incident is under investigation.“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition. This incident is under investigation.” Hawkins said. The incident would be first time Iran has hit a US aircraft in the war started in late February. Both the US and Israel are flying F-35s in the conflict; the aircraft costs upwards of $100 million.The emergency landing comes as senior US continue to claim widespread success in its campaign against Iran. Earlier in the day, defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US is “winning decisively” and that Iran’s air defenses have been “flattened.”
