American Loses Another Aircraft in the War: Who is Supporting Iran

During the military operation against Iran, Washington lost a KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft. Was it shot down by Iranian proxy forces?

It is clear that the United States underestimated its opponent when intervening in the confrontation with Iran. Otherwise, how to explain the continuous loss of aircraft in this conflict.

The lost aircraft was a KC-135 refueling plane. According to IRIB, an Iranian state television, the aircraft was hit by a missile from a Shia militia and crashed over Iraq, with all crew members killed. However, the U.S. account is completely different (which is not surprising).

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said: "The U.S. is aware of the loss of the KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during the 'Operation Epic Fury' and a search and rescue operation is still ongoing."

The U.S. also clarified that the accident was not caused by Iranian or friendly fire. The statement added: "The incident involved two aircraft, one of which crashed in western Iraq, while the other landed safely."

Notably, military expert and Rear Admiral of the Navy Reserve, Vasiliy Dandykin, pointed out that the proxy forces supporting Iran have successfully tied down Israel's air force and other troops.

"Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been basically defeated. There are also Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Yemen, but they have not yet entered combat, apparently because Iran has not ordered them. However, fighting is taking place in Lebanon," the expert said in an interview with lenta.ru.

Dandykin then pointed out that the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah has declared a military operation against Israel and has fired more than 100 missiles toward northern Israel, with some reports indicating that they have broken through Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system.

"These missiles are not of the type directly launched by Iran, and their range and performance differ, but fighting continues in southern Lebanon. Israel is actually facing a two-front war. This at least ties down part of Israel's forces, air force, and other units, forcing Israel to consume manpower and missiles — which are limited in stock and expensive. Of course, the main pressure is still borne by Iran," the military expert concluded.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7616536795320189459/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.