Five US soldiers killed in ambiguous aircraft crash in Mediterranean

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Nov 2023 19:41
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USEUCOM says that the plane crashed during an air refueling mission.

An MH-60S Knighthawk, assigned to the ‘Eightballers’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on May 20, 2021 (US Navy Photo)

All of the crew of the US Air Force aircraft that crashed into the Mediterranean were killed, the US European Command (USEUCOM) announced.

The five service members who were on board the plane were killed, USEUCOM said.

#BREAKING | The #US European command announced one of its aircraft crashed in the Mediterranean. This comes amid rising tensions in the region and constant attacks on US bases in #Iraq and #Syria. pic.twitter.com/RJwfzrZkJ0
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 12, 2023

"During a routine air refueling mission as part of military training, a US military aircraft carrying five service members suffered a mishap and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. All five of the service members onboard the aircraft were killed," USEUCOM said in a statement.

USEUCOM said that an investigation into the crash is still underway.

Yesterday, The US European Command (USEUCOM) that a US military aircraft crashed in the eastern Mediterranean on Friday, November 10.

The US European Command failed to provide further details regarding the location of the crash, or the type of warplane.

A message to the #US fleets in the Mediterranean waters deployed to threaten and destabilize the region by yours truly, #Hezbollah SG Sayyed Hassan #Nasrallah. pic.twitter.com/qRBpKxuVPS
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 3, 2023

US set to deploy air defense systems to protect regional interests

As the tension across the Arab world intensifies and given that US interests have been directly threatened if a regional war explodes, the United States has sought to deploy about a dozen air defense systems.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which referenced US defense officials, the US military has been seeking to deploy at least 12 air defense systems prior to the Israeli ground invasion into Gaza that has been allegedly anticipated to take place later this month.

It is important to note that "Israel" has been warned by various groups coordinating together as part of the Axis of Resistance that in the event of a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip, the war will expand to entail multiple fronts, noting that all US bases in the region will also be prone to attacks.

The US Defense Department has allegedly brought forth, from Fort Bliss, Texas, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery for use against ballistic missiles to be stationed in Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, at least 11 MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems were transferred from both Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma to be stationed in Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.