US Special Forces Enter Iran to Search for Missing Pilot After Fighter Jet Downed
Multiple news outlets, including The Telegraph, The Guardian and Axios, reported that US special forces entered Iran to search for a missing pilot after a US fighter jet was downed over the country.
The aircraft was struck amid reported US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with two crew members parachuting out after the incident. One crew member was rescued in a US operation involving helicopters and refueling aircraft, while the other remains missing, according to the reports.
Discrepancies exist among sources on the aircraft type, with some identifying it as an F-35 -- a single-seat jet -- and others as an F-15, which carries two crew members. These inconsistencies also affect reports on the number of pilots involved.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that a second fighter jet had been downed since the start of the US and Israeli attacks. Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported a possible detention of a pilot and later announced a reward for capturing one.
Neither US nor Iranian officials have independently confirmed the details of the incident or the rescue operation as of the latest reports.
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