What is the story about?
It’s been 21 days of continuous and intense fighting. The losses keep mounting for all sides involved in the conflict that continues to unfold in West Asia. According to reports, the United States has lost a total of 16 military aircraft, including 10 Reaper drones shot down by enemy fire and several crewed planes destroyed in accidents or strikes.
And on Thursday, reports emerged of an American F-35 making an emergency landing at a US air base in West Asia after it was possibly struck by Iranian fire. Iran has now claimed to have struck the F-35, saying it was the first country to do so. If Tehran has indeed struck the stealth jet, it would be significant. That’s because even there have been no confirmed case until now of the F-35 being struck by enemy fire since it was deployed in combat operations since 2018.
What exactly happened to the fighter jet? Here’s what we found out so far.
1) On Thursday, an American F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a regional airbase in West Asia after flying a combat mission over Iran.
2) US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Central Command (Centcom), has confirmed the incident, saying the plane landed “safely” and the pilot was “stable”.
3) Hawkins has added that the incident is under investigation so far.
4) According to a CNN report, citing sources, the plane was likely hit by Iran.
5) Shortly after news broke of the F-35 making the emergency landing, Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement saying it targeted a US aircraft.
6) According to the IRGC, the stealth jet was struck by air defence systems over central Iran in the early hours of Thursday. According to a statement released by the IRGC on its official news website, the jet was struck at 2:50 am local time by the IRGC's advanced, modern air defence systems.
A video shared by Tehran Times claims to show the moment a US F-35 fighter jet was hit during a combat mission over Iranian airspace. The clip shows the aircraft appearing to take damage, with explosions, smoke trails, and the jet veering off course mid-air.
7) If true, this would mark the first time Tehran has successfully hit an F-35, a fifth-generation fighter jet that costs more than $100 million and is considered a cornerstone of America’s air power.
8) Since the war began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US has lost some aircraft, some reports peg the loss at 16.
9) According to CNN, three US F-15 jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences, with all crew members ejecting safely. Moreover, a
KC-135 refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq last week, killing all six crew on board. The US military said that crash was not caused by hostile fire.
10) Separately, the war in West Asia has resulted in the deaths of 13 US troops, while 200 others have been injured.
11) However, senior US officials continue to claim widespread success in its campaign against Iran. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the US is “winning decisively” and that Iran’s air defences have been “flattened.”
12) Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Iran could no longer enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles. “After 20 days, I can tell you — Iran today has no ability to enrich uranium, and no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” said Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
With inputs from agencies
And on Thursday, reports emerged of an American F-35 making an emergency landing at a US air base in West Asia after it was possibly struck by Iranian fire. Iran has now claimed to have struck the F-35, saying it was the first country to do so. If Tehran has indeed struck the stealth jet, it would be significant. That’s because even there have been no confirmed case until now of the F-35 being struck by enemy fire since it was deployed in combat operations since 2018.
- Here are the latest developments from the Israel-Iran war
What exactly happened to the fighter jet? Here’s what we found out so far.
1) On Thursday, an American F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a regional airbase in West Asia after flying a combat mission over Iran.
2) US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Central Command (Centcom), has confirmed the incident, saying the plane landed “safely” and the pilot was “stable”.
3) Hawkins has added that the incident is under investigation so far.
4) According to a CNN report, citing sources, the plane was likely hit by Iran.
5) Shortly after news broke of the F-35 making the emergency landing, Iran’s
6) According to the IRGC, the stealth jet was struck by air defence systems over central Iran in the early hours of Thursday. According to a statement released by the IRGC on its official news website, the jet was struck at 2:50 am local time by the IRGC's advanced, modern air defence systems.
A video shared by Tehran Times claims to show the moment a US F-35 fighter jet was hit during a combat mission over Iranian airspace. The clip shows the aircraft appearing to take damage, with explosions, smoke trails, and the jet veering off course mid-air.
#BREAKING
The moment F-35 fighter jet was hithttps://t.co/VtLT5vz5it pic.twitter.com/641qTFE8A3
— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) March 19, 2026
7) If true, this would mark the first time Tehran has successfully hit an F-35, a fifth-generation fighter jet that costs more than $100 million and is considered a cornerstone of America’s air power.
8) Since the war began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US has lost some aircraft, some reports peg the loss at 16.
9) According to CNN, three US F-15 jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences, with all crew members ejecting safely. Moreover, a
10) Separately, the war in West Asia has resulted in the deaths of 13 US troops, while 200 others have been injured.
11) However, senior US officials continue to claim widespread success in its campaign against Iran. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the US is “winning decisively” and that Iran’s air defences have been “flattened.”
12) Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Iran could no longer enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles. “After 20 days, I can tell you — Iran today has no ability to enrich uranium, and no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” said Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
With inputs from agencies
