Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Mar 14: Five US Air Force refueling aircraft were damaged during an Iranian missile strike on a Saudi air base, while six American service members were killed in a separate military plane crash in Iraq, according to US officials.

The United States Air Force aircraft were hit on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Base during a recent missile attack by Iran, the The Wall Street Journal reported citing US officials. The planes sustained damage but were not destroyed and are currently undergoing repairs. No casualties were reported in the missile strike.

In a separate incident, all six crew members aboard a US military Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker were killed after the aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday.

The United States Central Command confirmed the deaths on Friday, stating that the crash involved another aircraft but was not caused by hostile or friendly fire. Investigations are underway to determine the circumstances of the incident.

The fatalities bring the number of American service members killed since US military operations against Iran began on February 28 to at least 13.

Speaking at the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said military operations against Iran would continue despite the losses.

“War is hell. War is chaos, and as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen,” he said.

A US official told Reuters that the second aircraft involved in the incident was also a KC-135 refueling plane and landed safely.

The KC-135 tanker, built by Boeing in the late 1950s and early 1960s, remains a critical component of the US military’s aerial refueling fleet, enabling aircraft to conduct long-range missions without landing.

An umbrella group of Iran-backed militias known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft, though US officials have not confirmed the claim.

The crash occurred on the same day two sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford were injured in a non-combat-related fire.

Earlier in the conflict, seven US troops were killed after a drone struck a military facility in Port Shuaiba, while another attack in Saudi Arabia also resulted in casualties.

US President Donald Trump and senior officials have warned that the conflict with Iran could result in more American military casualties as Tehran continues to retaliate against US and Israeli strikes.