A US fighter jet has been shot down over Iran, three US sources said confirming Iranian state media reports.
US forces have launched search and rescue efforts, the sources said. Potential rescue efforts appeared to be captured in video posted to social media and geolocated by CNN.
The state-run Tasnim agency said that the search for any missing crew had “so far been unsuccessful.” Separately, on Fars News, an anchor said a reward was being offered for anyone capturing an “enemy pilot or pilots.”
It wasn’t immediately clear where in Iran the jet went down. The US military and the White House have not commented on the situation or the status of the pilots.
Video geolocated by CNN showed multiple low flying military aircraft over Khuzestan Province in central Iran.
In the video, one airplane can be seen flying low over the ground while two helicopters follow closely behind – a formation that is consistent with an air-to-air refueling operation. The video was taken on a bridge over the Karoon river, which is around 470 km south of Tehran.
The incident marks the first time a US aircraft has been shot down over Iran during the conflict. Near the beginning of the war, three F-15s were mistakenly shot down in a friendly fire incident by Kuwaiti air defenses.
It comes as Trump administration officials have made repeated claims that the war is essentially won, and that the US has air superiority over the country. Last month, President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office that the US has “won this, because this war has been won, the only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news.”
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