A US military aircraft crashed Friday night while taking part in a training operation in the eastern Mediterranean, the Pentagon said.
The plane “suffered an accident and went down,” US European Command, which is responsible for US military operations across Europe, parts of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and the Atlantic, said in a statement on Saturday.
The incident was “purely related to training and there are no indications of hostile activity,” USEUCOM said.
No further information was immediately provided about the type of aircraft involved, which branch it belonged to, the exact location or time 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 be releasing any additional information about the personnel involved at this time,” the statement said.
The Department of Defense sent additional US forces to the Middle East in response October 7 attack by Hamas militants about Israel.
USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean in the days immediately following the attack.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its strike group was sent to the Persian Gulf as US military bases in Iraq and Syria have seen an increase in attacks by Iran-backed Shia militia groups in recent weeks.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also sent additional air defense systems to the region.
