Media: US warplane shot down over Iran, one crew member rescued

 

“A US warplane has crashed in Iran and US forces have rescued one of its crew members, major US media outlets reported on Friday after Iranian media showed footage of the aircraft’s wreckage.

 

Axios and CBS News, citing unnamed sources, reported that US special forces had already rescued one of the plane’s two crew members, while the search for the second crew member was ongoing.

 

According to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, the downed plane was an F-15E fighter jet with two crew members – a pilot and a weapons systems specialist.

 

CNN also reported that an analysis of photos published by Iranian media of the wreckage showed that it was an F-15 fighter jet, not an F-35, as some Iranian media reports had claimed.

 

US media reported that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation.

 

However, neither the White House nor the Pentagon have yet responded to requests for comment.

 

US media reported that specialized US forces were conducting a search and rescue operation after the first known loss of a US aircraft in Iranian territory since Trump ordered the war.

 

Major US media outlets have cited photos and videos circulating on social media and Iranian news portals showing US helicopters and other aircraft flying low over the alleged crash site.”