Axios: US fighter jet shot down in Iran, crew search underway
Kyiv • UNN
Iranian media reported the downing of a US aircraft and offered a reward for the pilots. Photo analysis indicates the loss of an F-15, official Washington remains silent for now.
Iran shot down an American fighter jet, Iranian media and a source familiar with the incident report, and search and rescue operations are currently underway to find the two crew members, Axios reports, writes UNN.
Details
This would be the first time since the beginning of the war that an American fighter jet has been shot down by enemy fire, the publication notes.
The US military and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On Friday, Iranian state media published photos and videos allegedly showing parts of the downed aircraft and one of the ejection seats.
Photos and videos indicate that it is an F-15 fighter jet.
As AP notes, a local channel of Iranian state television said on Friday that an American fighter pilot ejected from the plane over southwestern Iran.
The channel's presenter in Iran's Kohkiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province read out the following announcement: "If you capture an enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police, you will receive a valuable prize."
The channel did not provide any other details.
CNN writes that the image of the downed plane published in Iranian media matches that of an American F-15.
"Iranian reports claimed the aircraft was an F-35 stealth fighter, but our analysis of the published images suggests it was more likely an F-15," CNN points out.
AP notes that during the war, Iran has made a number of claims about shooting down manned aircraft that turned out to be false. But on Friday, Iran for the first time appeared on television, calling on the public to search for the suspected downed pilot, the publication notes.