Five soldiers were killed in an accident involving an American plane that crashed during an exercise in the Mediterranean, the European command of the American army (Eucom) said on Sunday.
Eucom did not specify the model of the plane in question or its origin, but the United States recently deployed an aircraft carrier to the region to deter any attempt to escalate the war between Israel and Hamas into conflict. regional.
A routine mission went wrong
“During a routine aerial refueling mission as part of military training, a US military aircraft carrying five soldiers suffered an accident and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. All five soldiers on board the aircraft were killed,” Eucom said in a statement.
The American army reported this accident, which occurred “on the evening of November 10th” in the eastern Mediterranean, without initially providing any information about the fate of the people on board.
Reinforcement of American troops in the region
“Jill and I pray for the families and friends who have lost a loved one – a part of their soul,” US President Joe Biden responded in a statement. “Our entire nation shares our grief. »
After the October 7 Hamas attack, Washington provided military support to Israel and increased its forces in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and other warships.