Israeli F-15 Nearly Forced to Land in Iran After Mid-Air Malfunction During 12-Day War

Watan-In a new development revealing part of the behind-the-scenes events during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, media reports stated that an Israeli F-15 fighter jet suffered a serious malfunction while flying over Iranian airspace, nearly forcing it to make an emergency landing inside Iranian territory.

The aircraft, which was participating in a combat mission, experienced a critical fuel tank failure, prompting the pilot to immediately notify Israeli command. Due to the absence of aerial refueling aircraft within the accompanying formation, an urgent contingency plan was activated involving the dispatch of a specialized refueling aircraft.

According to sources, a backup plan was also in place in case aerial refueling failed, which involved landing the fighter in a neighboring country (unnamed) to avoid the crew being captured in Iran. However, the refueling aircraft arrived just in time, saving the fighter jet from a certain threat and allowing it to complete its mission without needing to withdraw.

During the war, Iran had announced that it had shot down two Israeli fighter jets and captured the female pilot of one of them—an account that Israel categorically denied, asserting that none of its pilots were captured by Iranian forces.