The US military has begun a search and rescue operation for two crew members following reports of a US fighter aircraft being shot down over Iranian territory, reported Axios, citing sources.
Iranian state media had recently claimed to have shot down a fighter jet from the US Air Force using their air defences in central Iran; however, neither the White House nor the US Central Command has confirmed this report.
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If the incident is proven to be true, it would represent the first reported downing of a US fighter since the United States, Israel, and Iran entered into conflict on February 28.
Fars News Agency reported that the Iranian military is searching for the pilot of the downed commercial flight. “Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," the agency said.
Iranian local television footage is said to have shown debris from what it claims is the jet crash at an unidentified location in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, and local authorities are asking for assistance in the search for the pilot, with what is being reported to be a reward offered for information leading to the capture of US servicemen.
Authorities in Iran are asking residents for help with finding the pilot who was inside the downed US fighter jet, and they are offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest of US servicemen by the IRGC.
According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, US forces have been trying to locate the crashed jet since Friday, with the use of Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft, but as of yet have had no success locating the pilot. Tasnim reported that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down the aircraft after the pilot was able to eject from the fighter jet and parachuted onto Iranian territory.