Fighter jets on the US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (Photo: Reuters).
"While conducting a routine aerial refueling mission during a military training exercise, a US military aircraft carrying five service members experienced an accident and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. All five service members on board were killed," the US European Command (EUCOM) announced on November 12.
According to EUCOM, an investigation into the accident is underway.
Earlier, EUCOM announced that a US military aircraft "had an accident and crashed" in the eastern Mediterranean while conducting a training flight on the evening of November 10.
"We can confirm with certainty that the aircraft sortie was purely training-related and there was no indication of hostile activity," EUCOM confirmed.
Last year, an F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier was “blown into the sea” due to “unusually bad weather” during a resupply mission in the Mediterranean. The aircraft sank but was recovered a month later.
Location of the Gaza Strip and the Mediterranean Sea (Photo: BBC).
Following the outbreak of conflict in Gaza, the US has deployed a series of military assets and troops to the Middle East, including a cruise missile submarine and two aircraft carrier strike groups. The Pentagon said the move was intended to send a message of deterrence to hostile forces in the region.
Meanwhile, military bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria have been repeatedly attacked recently. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said they have recorded at least 46 attacks on US and allied forces since October 17. Since then, at least 56 US troops have been injured.
The US has blamed Iran-backed militias for the attacks. The White House in October also accused Iran of “actively facilitating” Tehran-backed groups that carried out missile and drone attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria.
Iran has denied the accusations, but Tehran-backed militant groups have openly said they will target US forces and military assets in the region as long as Washington supports Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani warned that the US could face a "serious attack" if it does not intervene to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
On November 12, the US continued to carry out an airstrike in Syria, reportedly targeting "a training facility near the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin", in response to attacks on US military bases in Syria.
"US military forces today conducted precision strikes on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-aligned groups, in response to repeated attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria," the Pentagon said.
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