Four U.S. service members have been killed after a military refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, according to the United States Central Command.
The command said Friday that the aircraft, identified as a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, went down during operations in the region. Six crew members were on board at the time of the crash.
Officials confirmed that four of the personnel died in the incident, while the fate of the remaining two crew members has not yet been disclosed.
Military authorities said search and rescue operations were still ongoing at the crash site. They also clarified that the aircraft was not brought down by enemy action.
“The loss of the KC-135 aircraft was not due to hostile or friendly fire,” the military said, indicating that investigations into the cause of the crash are continuing.
Crash occurs amid escalating regional conflict.
The incident comes as the war between Israel and Iran approaches its second week, with hostilities spreading across the Persian Gulf region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military operations may weaken Iran’s leadership but may not necessarily lead to the collapse of the government in Tehran.
“We are creating the optimal conditions for toppling the regime,” Netanyahu said during his first press conference since the conflict began.
However, he acknowledged uncertainty about the outcome, noting that he could not “say with all certainty that the people of Iran will topple the regime, a regime that is toppled from the inside.”
Concerns about prolonged war
Regional officials say Israeli authorities are preparing the public for a potentially prolonged conflict.
A senior official familiar with internal discussions said leaders fear Iran and its allies could normalise periodic missile exchanges, creating what they described as a “war routine” involving recurring missile alerts and retaliatory strikes.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on the social media platform Truth Social that the United States is “destroying” Iran’s military and economic capabilities.
“Watch what happens,” he wrote, suggesting that further developments could occur soon.
The aircraft crash has increased the number of U.S. casualties linked to the conflict to 11. Across the region, officials report more than 1,300 deaths in Iran, 687 in Lebanon, and 12 in Israel.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to address the situation during a scheduled press briefing at the Pentagon.
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