Baghdad, March 13. — The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of pro-Iranian armed factions, reported today that it had attacked two American KC-135 tanker aircraft over western Iraq. In two separate statements, the group said its fighters shot down a KC-135 with 'appropriate weaponry' and that a second aircraft of the same type was also hit before its crew made an emergency landing at 'one of the enemy airports.' The organization stated that the operations were carried out to defend Iraq's sovereignty and airspace, 'which have been violated by aircraft of the occupation forces.' In another statement, the group detailed its recent activities, indicating that its fighters conducted 31 operations in the last 24 hours with dozens of drones and missiles against what it described as 'occupation bases in Iraq and the region.' All Killed The US Central Command confirmed on X that a KC-135 tanker aircraft was shot down; this resulted in the death of its six occupants, according to Xinhua news agency, citing the Argentine News Agency. 'Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of them crashed in western Iraq and the second landed without incident,' reads the Command's post. The attacks occurred amid a regional escalation of tensions following joint US and Israel operations against Iran, which began on February 28, to which Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and US interests across the Middle East. On March 6, Iraqi Ayatollah Jawad al-Khalisi issued a fatwa calling for jihad against the US and Israel in response to Operation Epic Fury, according to the official Iranian news agency, IRNA. France's stance after a soldier's death The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, declared on Friday that France will remain calm following the death of a French soldier in Iraq on Thursday night. Macron made these remarks during a press conference with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was on a visit to the country, reiterating that France 'is not involved in a war' and that the country's position in the Middle East 'is purely defensive.' According to a statement issued on Friday by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, seven French soldiers stationed at a military base in Erbil province in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan were attacked by drones on Thursday night, resulting in one of them being killed.
