A US Apache helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz
A US Army Apache attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz off the Iranian coast, according to US media.
The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reported on Tuesday that the helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and that the pilots survived.
The newspaper added that it was not yet clear whether the helicopter had crashed due to Iranian fire, or due to a mechanical failure or some other problem.
Commenting on the incident, US President Donald Trump said that both pilots were safe and unharmed.
He added in a press statement: “We’ll issue a report tomorrow, and the pilots are fine, neither of them was harmed.”
On Sunday and Monday, the region witnessed a new round of escalation between Iran and Israel following the latter’s bombing of the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Despite Iran’s warning, Israel ignited the region by launching an attack on the southern suburbs, prompting Tehran to respond with missile strikes on Israel, while Israel announced that its fighter jets had bombed military targets in western and central Iran.
On Sunday, Trump called on Israel and Iran to immediately cease hostilities, warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against escalating the attack on Iran.
On Monday, Tehran announced a halt to military operations “after a painful response was delivered to the enemy,” followed by a similar announcement by Netanyahu after a phone call he had with Trump.
