U.S. denies Iraq hit plane

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military is denying reports from Iraq that it hit a warplane with a surface-to-air missile over the southern no-fly zone on Wednesday.

Major Brad Lowell, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said: "We have no information to support that claim. All our aircraft are accounted for." The British Ministry of Defence said none of its planes had been hit.

The Iraqi News Agency, quoting an air defence command official on Wednesday, said the plane flew towards Saudi Arabia after being hit.

The INA report quoted the Iraqi defence official as saying that at 13:45 p.m. (1200 GMT) local time on Wednesday, "Evil American and British planes violated Iraqi air space in the south."

He added: "Our heroic missile force confronted the planes, and with God's help, managed to hit one of the enemy planes which was then seen withdrawing toward Saudi air space after being hit."

The official said all the planes left Iraqi air space, flying toward either Saudi Arabia or Kuwait.

The official added, coalition planes had operated 28 sorties over al Bassiyah, al Salman, Ishbitcha, and al Jilbiba, all in southern Iraq.

The U.S. has lost two Predator spy drones over Iraq since September -- one on September 11, the other October 10. The unmanned aerial vehicles, which are used for reconnaissance, were listed as either having crashed or been shot down.