The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has successfully hit a US Air Force F-35 stealth fighter jet in central Iran’s airspace.
According to a statement released by the IRGC on its official news website on Thursday, the jet was struck at 2:50 a.m. local time by the IRGC’s advanced, modern air defense systems.
“The fate of the fighter jet is unclear and under investigation, and the likelihood of its crash is very high,” it said.
The IRGC noted that the interception follows the successful downing of more than 125 US-Israeli drones by Iran’s defense systems, signaling significant and purposeful upgrades in the country’s integrated air defense network.
Further details on the incident are still under investigation.
CNN cited sources familiar with the incident as confirming that a US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a US airbase in West Asia after being struck by what is believed to have been Iranian fire.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, confirmed that the fifth-generation stealth jet was conducting a combat mission over Iran when it was forced to land. The incident is currently under investigation, he said.
This marks the first reported instance of Iranian forces hitting a US aircraft since the Israeli-American war of terrorism on Iran began in late February, with the unprovoked assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Both the United States and Israel have been deploying F-35s in the war, with each jet valued at over $100 million.
The alleged emergency landing comes amid continued claims from senior US officials regarding the success of its terrorist operations against Iran.
Iran Strikes 100 Israeli Targets to Avenge Security Council Chief Larijani’s Assassination
Extremist US war secretary Pete Hegseth boasted on Thursday morning that the US is “winning decisively” and emphasized that Iran’s air defenses have been “flattened.”
Hegseth has made numerous controversial statements, in which he sees America’s military aggressions, especially against Islamic nations, as part of a larger crusade seeking to bring about Armageddon.
His extremism is reflected in his tattoos, including the Jerusalem Cross, a religious symbol associated with the violent Crusades of Europeans to reclaim al-Quds from Muslims and the phrase “Deus Vult” (“God Wills It”) inked on his body, a rallying cry of the Crusaders.
These tattoos, along with his self-published book American Crusade, which frames the fight against Islam as a modern-day “crusade,” have reportedly sparked numerous complaints from his service members who see an apparent connection between his extremist worldview and the ongoing terrorist war on Iran.
Iranian sophisticated defense missiles hit US F-35 war jet: IRGC
The jet made an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East: US sources pic.twitter.com/4JAlle2gZF— Al-Manar English (@manarenglish) March 19, 2026
Haifa Oil Refinery Hit by “Nasrallah” Missiles
Public Relations Office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement that detailed the 65th wave of Operation True Promise 4:
🔸 The Haifa and Ashdod refineries, two of the largest oil refining facilities of the Zionist regime, along with a number of security targets and military support centers of this entity in the region, were struck by precision missiles in the 65th wave of Operation True Promise 4.
🔸 In this operational wave, carried out under the slogan “O Aba Abdillah al-Hussein (peace be upon him)” and dedicated to the martyrs of the IRGC Aerospace Force, the Nasrallah missile system (the upgraded and guided Qadr system) was used for the first time.
🔸 The medium-range missiles “Qiam” and “Zulfiqar” also hit American targets and interests at Al-Kharj base, which is the main site for supporting the refueling of F16 and F35 fighter jets and American AWACS spy planes, as well as Sheikh Issa base, the headquarters of the command and control center, data and combat communications facilities of the terrorist American army, and Al-Dhafra base, where these targets were hit with precise hits by medium-range missiles that operate with liquid and solid fuel of the multi-warhead Qadr type, Khaybarshakan, Qiam, and Zulfiqar types.
Haifa oil refinery hit by Iranian missiles pic.twitter.com/yj1DlLmrHe
— Al-Manar English (@manarenglish) March 19, 2026
IRGC later announced the 66th wave of Operation True Promise 4, stating: “Israeli targets in Tel Aviv and south of occupied Palestine in addition to US bases in the region were struck.”
