US F-35 hit by suspected Iranian fire, forced to make emergency landing

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by AgenciesMarch 19, 2026 at 05:25 PM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

A US F-35 fighter jet was reportedly hit by suspected Iranian fire on Thursday, forcing an emergency landing. The incident occurred while the aircraft was flying a combat mission over Iran, according to US Central Command. The pilot landed safely and is in stable condition, while the event is currently under investigation. Iranian state television claimed the Revolutionary Guard's air defense system severely damaged the F-35. This marks the first reported instance of Iran hitting a US F-35 since the US and Israel launched their attack on the country on February 28.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

CNN 40% Donald Trump 50% Tim Hawkins 60% Israel 60% US Central Command 70% Revolutionary Guard 70% F-35 ×390% United States ×490% Iran ×595%

Keywords

f-35 100% iranian fire 90% iran 90% emergency landing 80% us central command 60% air defence system 50% combat mission 50% us 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

85%

Geographic Perspective

Iran

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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