As many as five additional US Air Force aircraft have reportedly sustained damage at a Saudi air base in a suspected Iranian drone and missile attack, according to sources cited by a prominent US media outlet on Saturday.
The report stated that five US Air Force refuelling planes were damaged on the ground in recent days. It did not specify the exact timing or method of the attack.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for operations in the region, declined to comment on the development, reportedly to avoid political backlash in Washington.
This incident brings the total number of US aircraft damaged in the ongoing war with Iran to at least 13, including three MQ-9 Reaper attack drones that represent billions of dollars in losses.
Earlier on Friday, Iraqi militia groups claimed they had downed a US refuelling aircraft in Iraqi airspace, killing six service members on board. This takes the reported total US fatalities in the conflict to 14 since hostilities began.
There are also unconfirmed reports that more than 170 US personnel have been injured in the war and are being treated at a hospital in Germany, though the Pentagon has not verified these claims.
Meanwhile, in the UAE, the public prosecutor has ordered the arrest of 10 individuals of various nationalities for posting both real and fake videos on social media depicting the country under attack.
Officials stated that the defendants face a minimum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of 100,000 dirhams (approximately $27,224) “due to the deliberate deception involved, the attack on public security, the spreading of terror among individuals, and the undermining of social peace.”
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