A U.S. Air Force KC-135 refueling tanker crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, killing four of the six crew members on board, U.S. Central Command announced Friday. The crash occurred at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and search and rescue operations for the two surviving crew members were ongoing. CENTCOM said the identities of the service members would be withheld for 24 hours after next-of-kin notifications.

CENTCOM stated the aircraft was lost in "friendly airspace" and that the crash was not the result of hostile fire or friendly fire. The statement indicated a second aircraft may have been involved, possibly in a refueling operation or close-proximity maneuver, and that the second plane landed safely. The circumstances of the incident remain under investigation. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, however, claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft, stating it used "the appropriate weapon" to bring down the KC-135.

The crash is the latest loss suffered by the U.S. military since it launched operations against Iran on February 28 in a joint campaign with Israel. One day into the conflict, on March 1, three F-15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses during an active combat situation; all six crew members ejected safely and were recovered. Prior to Thursday's crash, seven U.S. service members had died in the campaign, with an eighth dying in Kuwait from a health-related medical emergency and 140 others wounded, including eight with severe injuries.

The ongoing conflict has drawn significant domestic opposition, making it the first U.S. military engagement in recent decades to register a negative public approval rating from the outset. A Quinnipiac University poll released March 9 found 53 percent of voters opposed the military offensive, while 74 percent rejected the prospect of ground operations. A separate Ipsos survey found 43 percent of Americans disapproved of the strikes compared to 29 percent who approved. The investigation into the KC-135 crash is expected to determine whether mechanical failure, a midair collision, or another factor caused the loss of the aircraft.