Search and rescue for pilots launched after US fighter jet goes down inside Iran: Reports

A search-and-rescue operation is underway for the crew of a U.S. fighter jet that crashed inside Iran on Friday, marking the first confirmed loss of an American aircraft within Iranian territory since the onset of the conflict, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The development, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, follows a day of conflicting accounts regarding the fate of U.S. air assets in the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its air defences targeted and downed an "enemy" aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz. While the IRGC initially identified the jet as an F-35, images circulated by the Fars News Agency show wreckage bearing a "LN" tail code and markings associated with an F-15E Strike Eagle.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) initially dismissed the reports, stating that all aircraft were accounted for and characterising the IRGC claims as part of a pattern of misinformation. However, subsequent reports of a U.S. C-130 Hercules flying low-altitude patterns while deploying defensive flares suggested an active Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission was in progress.

Adding to the urgency, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB issued a call to civilians in southwestern Iran. A local anchor in the Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province announced that any citizen who captures American crewmembers alive and delivers them to authorities would receive a "precious prize."

The Pentagon and the White House have not yet issued a formal update regarding the status of the pilots or the specific circumstances of the jet's loss. Military analysts suggest the wreckage identified in Iranian media belongs to the 494th Fighter Squadron. The incident marks a major escalation in the aerial theatre of the war, heightening concerns over the potential capture of U.S. service members by Iranian security forces.