U.S. military aircraft crashes in Eastern Mediterranean during training operation, Pentagon says

A U.S. military aircraft crashed Friday night while taking part in a training operation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Pentagon said.

The aircraft “suffered a mishap and went down,” U.S. European Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean said in a statement on Saturday.

The incident was “purely related to training and there are no indications of hostile activity,” said USEUCOM. 

No further details were immediately provided on the type of aircraft involved, which branch it belonged to, the exact location or timing of the crash, or whether there were any injuries or fatalities. The cause is under investigation.

“Out of respect for the families affected, we will not release further information on the personnel involved at this time,” the statement said.

The Defense Department sent additional U.S. forces to the Middle East in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.

The USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group were deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in the days immediately after the attack. 

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its strike group were sent to the Persian Gulf as U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria have seen an increase in attacks by Iran-backed Shia militia groups in recent weeks.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also sent additional air defense systems to the region.