SECURITY — April 4, 2026
US Special Forces Enter Iran to Search for Missing Pilot After Fighter Jet Downed
US special forces reportedly entered Iran to search for a missing pilot after a fighter jet was downed, with one crew member rescued and discrepancies on aircraft type persisting. Iran's IRGC claimed a second jet downed, but details remain unconfirmed by officials.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Amu TV — 2 min read
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.
Read the original reporting at Amu TV →
Reliability assessment
Multiple independent sources dated April 3-4, 2026 (Guardian, Telegraph, Ynet, Axios, i24NEWS) corroborate the core event of US special forces entering Iran to rescue/search for a missing pilot after an F-15 fighter jet was downed over Iran, with one crew member rescued and the other missing; this confirms the Telegraph report cited in the original story, upgrading from single-source second-hand claims to multi-source verification despite ongoing discrepancies on details like aircraft type.
The source language reads straight.
Independent web corroboration
A separate web search returned 8 matching reports. A selection:
Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane. US media reported American special forces had rescued one of its two crew members and the other was still missing, with a search operation under way.
- US special forces enter Iran to rescue downed airmantelegraph.co.uk
US special forces enter Iran to rescue downed airman
US forces launched a high-risk nighttime operation after Iran downed an F-15, as one airman was rescued and another remained missing amid an ongoing Iranian search
One of two crew members of a U.S. fighter jet that was shot down over Iran was located and rescued by U.S. special forces, and the search for the second is ongoing, an Israeli official and a second source with knowledge of the situation told Axios.
Across the newsrooms
Filed by
Amu TV
Originating
Reported straight
Reported straight
Filed under
Security — Iran, United States, IRGC, Telegraph, F-35
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