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Two American jets, Black Hawk down; Iran's ‘shoot them’ appeal: Latest in US-Iran war
Iran's Tasnim News Agency said the air defense systems successfully downed a US UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Iraqi airspace.
Two American jets and a Black Hawk helicopter were downed by Iran on Friday, Iranian reports claimed, even as the US launched search operation to rescue pilots in the Iranian territory.
The latest comes even as the United States scrambled jets and helicopters after its official confirmed that Iran downed a fighter jet over the country.
The New York Times, citing US officials confirmed that a US fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday. 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.
Follow latest updates on US-Iran war
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 clarify which of the two jets was shot.
Here are the latest development in the story:
- One crew member from a US fighter jet that was shot down over Iran has been rescued by the US forces, CBS News reported, citing US officials. While the F-15E Strike Eagle claimed to have been shot on Friday is a two-seat aircraft, crewed by a pilot and a weapons systems officer (WSO). The F-35, in all its variants, is a single-seat aircraft with just the pilot.
- Iran's Tasnim News Agency said the air defense systems successfully downed a US UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Iraqi airspace. The helicopter was apparently part of the search and rescue mission carried out by the US to locate pilot of the downed F-15 jet. However, the US officials are yet to react to the Iranian claim.
- The latest development comes after Iranian news outlets, Fars and Tasnim, said several US helicopters and jets were deployed for a search and rescue mission. It added that the aircraft retreated after coming under Iranian air defence fire. Apart from the Black Hawk, the US also deployed C-130 Hercules aircraft in the search and rescue operation.
- 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 on social media 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.
