US military plane crashes in Mediterranean during training

In a statement, EUCOM said the incident took place on the evening of November 10 (local time) but did not provide information about the fate of the crew, according to AFP. EUCOM is in charge of US military operations in Europe as well as parts of Asia, the Middle East, the Arctic and the Atlantic.

The statement did not mention the type of aircraft or where it took off from, but the US has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean in an effort to prevent the Hamas-Israel conflict from escalating into a wider war in the region.

Máy bay quân sự Mỹ rơi ở Địa Trung Hải trong lúc huấn luyện - Ảnh 1. — An American military aircraft

"We can say with certainty that this flight was purely training-related and there was no indication of hostile activity," the statement said. EUCOM also said the cause of the incident was under investigation.

"Out of respect for the families affected, we will not be releasing further information about the personnel involved at this time," the statement said.

The US has provided military support to Israel and increased its forces in the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and the country retaliated with a campaign of attacks on the Gaza Strip that has lasted until now.

The USS Gerald R. Ford and other US warships were deployed to the eastern Mediterranean within days of the outbreak of hostilities. Meanwhile, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group was sent to the Persian Gulf, instead of the eastern Mediterranean as originally planned.

Last week, two US aircraft carriers, with about 11,000 US servicemen, launched aircraft and conducted missile defense drills during a three-day exercise in the region.

In addition to naval ships, the US has also deployed a series of ground defense forces to the Middle East to protect US forces in the region as well as prevent the war from spreading.

Since mid-October, Iran-linked groups have repeatedly attacked US bases in Iraq and Syria, injuring more than 50 US troops, according to the Pentagon.

Source link