US F-35 hit by suspected Iranian fire during combat mission over Iran, sources say

(TNND) — A US F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Thursday after it was struck by suspected Iranian fire, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, said in a statement to the outlet that the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to land at a U.S. air base in the Middle East. Hawkins confirmed the jet landed safely and the incident is under investigation.

The emergency landing comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Thursday morning that the U.S. is “winning decisively and on our terms.”

“We’re hunting and striking death and destruction from above. Iran’s air defenses flattened Iran’s defense industrial base, the factories, the production lines that feed their missile and drone programs, being overwhelmingly destroyed,” Hegseth said during a briefing at the Pentagon.

Since the start of the war on Feb. 28, 13 service members have been killed. Six were killed in a KC-135 refueling aircraft crash in Iraq, and others were killed in Iranian drone and missile attacks across the region.

In addition, around 200 U.S. troops have been wounded, most with non-life-threatening injuries.