In a dramatic new revelation from last month’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, an Israeli fighter jet that had penetrated deep into Iranian airspace suffered a critical fuel malfunction that nearly forced it to make an emergency landing in a neighboring country, Channel 12 reported — the first public disclosure of the near-disaster. According to the report, the incident occurred during Israel’s daring surprise air campaign on June 13, which targeted Iran’s top military leadership, nuclear infrastructure, and missile program. While maneuvering over Iranian territory, the pilot of an Israeli F-15 detected a serious issue with the aircraft’s fuel tank. With no aerial refueling tanker in the air at the time, the situation was grim. A frantic response unfolded behind the scenes. Israeli Air Force personnel rushed to dispatch a refueling aircraft mid-mission in an attempt to salvage the operation and prevent the fighter jet from being stranded in hostile territory. At the same time, commanders quietly devised a backup plan: if the tanker couldn’t reach the aircraft in time, the pilot would be forced to veer off course and land in a third country to avoid the catastrophic risks of landing in the Islamic Republic. The identity of the potential emergency landing site was not disclosed. In the end, the tanker arrived just in time. The refueling operation succeeded mid-air, and the pilot was able to complete the mission and safely return. Despite Iran’s repeated claims during the war that it had downed Israeli jets and captured pilots, none of these assertions were substantiated. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, dismissed such reports as “completely baseless.” In fact, contrary to dire internal predictions that as many as 10 Israeli aircraft could be lost in the opening days of the offensive, not a single Israeli plane was shot down. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)