The United States on Friday scrambled jets and helicopters after its official confirmed that Iran downed a fighter jet over the country.
A US F-15 jet (shown on left) was among the aircraft downed by Iran. The US has scrambled C-130 Hercules and helicopters for rescue. (Agencies)
A US F-15 jet (shown on left) was among the aircraft downed by Iran. The US has scrambled C-130 Hercules and helicopters for rescue. (Agencies)
The development, reported first by Iranian news agencies, was later confirmed by US and Israeli military officials to The New York Times.
US officials said that the fate of the plane's crew was not known even as American forces launched a search and rescue operation to trace any survivors, before Iran could get them, The Times reported.
While the Iranian media reports said to have downed a US F-15E fighter jet, hours after taking down US fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet, the US is yet to clear which of the either two jets was shot.
Here are the latest development in the story:
Iranian news outlets, Fars and Tasnim, said several US helicopters and jets were deployed for a search and rescue mission. However, the reports added that the aircraft retreated after coming under Iranian air defence fire.
According to Iranian reports, US Black Hawk helicopters, C-130 Hercules aircraft were involved in the search and rescue operations.
Iranian broadcasters meanwhile issued warning for the US aircraft and pilot(s), urging residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did.
A video also surfaced purportedly showing a C-130 Hercules aircraft, followed by two choppers, flying low over Southern Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian media, referring to social media footage, urged public to “shoot them if you see them." The appeal was one of the first instances when Iran went on television urging people to look for a suspected downed pilot.
Earlier in the day, Iranian media released images that claimed to show debris of the second F-35 fighter jet was struck and downed over central Iran by a modern air-defence system of the Islamic Republic's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iranian officials added that the pilot is unlikely to have ejected.
The US fighter jet was shot down shortly after President Donald Trump celebrated the US bombing of Karaj bridge in Iran, following which Tehran warned of retaliatory strikes on US-Israel and the Gulf neighbours.
The US Central Command and the White House are yet to officially react to the developments.
Majid Alam
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Majid Alam
Majid Alam is a Chief Content Producer working at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. He currently heads shifts at online desk and manages homepage apart from writing, editing and curating articles. With over six years of experience in journalism, Majid has navigated national, politics and international news. His work primarily focuses on the politics of the Hindi heartland, government policies, and South Asia. He also writes on US and Europe’s policies vis-à-vis India. Before joining Hindustan Times, Majid worked at ABP LIVE as the Chief Copy Editor and at News18, where he managed the World and Explainers sections. His articles have featured in Dialogue Earth, The Quint, BMJ, The Diplomat, and Outlook India. Majid has a keen interest in the use of data for storytelling. Majid holds a Masters in Convergent Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia. He was awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship to study International Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris in 2020. He is also part of the OCEANS Network, an alumni network of Erasmus+ exchange scholars. He is currently serving as the National Representative (India) at the OCEANS Network. Apart from journalism, Majid has a flair for academic writing and loves to teach. He has published a book chapter: 'Bombay Cinema and Postmodernism' in the book: 'Handbook of Research on Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema.' He was also part of the OCEANS Network delegation to Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam in 2025. He has also given guest lecture in digital journalism at AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.Read More
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