One crew rescued from downed US jet in Iran
One crew member has been rescued after an American aircraft went down in Iran, according to one US and one Israeli official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive ongoing military operations.
The rescue occurred as the US military was conducting a search and rescue operation, according to three people familiar who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitivity of the situation. Israel is helping the United States with the search and rescue operation. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that President Donald Trump had been briefed but did not offer any additional information. It was the first time the US has lost aircraft in Iranian territory and constitutes a dramatic escalation in the war since it began five weeks ago.
It was not clear if the jet was shot down or crashed. The White House, Pentagon and US Central Command didn’t immediately respond to several messages seeking comment. Earlier, a channel affiliated with Iranian state television claimed on Friday that a US fighter pilot had ejected from an aircraft over southwestern Iran.
It was not clear what may have happened to the plane, including whether Iran was claiming it was shot down or had another issue. If the claim is confirmed, it could lead to yet another dramatic escalation in the war, nearing the end of its fifth week.
Iran fired on targets across the Mideast on Friday, as Tehran kept the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours, despite US and Israeli insistence that Iran's military capabilities have been all but destroyed.
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to the police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometres (5,900 square miles). Authorities also urged the public to search for the pilot in neighbouring Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.
An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be US aircraft in the area. The channel showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement, but provided no other immediate details.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire.
Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, but it wasn’t immediately clear what was hit. A day earlier, Iran said the US hit a major bridge, which was still under construction, killing eight people.
In Lebanon, an Israeli drone strike on worshippers leaving Friday prayers in the town of Sohmor killed two people and wounded 11, according to the state-run National News Agency.
More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on Feb 28 with US and Israeli strikes. In a review released Friday, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a US-based group, said they found that civilian casualties were clustered around strikes on security and state-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas.
