Iran has claimed responsibility for shooting down a US F-15E fighter jet over its southwestern region, marking a sharp escalation in hostilities.
The American pilot reportedly ejected before the crash, prompting US forces to launch a combat search and rescue mission.
Iranian officials announced that anyone who captures or kills the pilot will be commended, while state-affiliated channels offered rewards for civilians who bring him in alive. Images circulated by Iranian media showed debris loaded onto a pickup truck, allegedly from the downed aircraft.
In a further claim, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps stated it had destroyed a second US F-35 fighter jet over central Iran, asserting that its pilot did not eject.
If confirmed, these incidents would represent the first US jet losses inside Iran since the war began, intensifying already fraught regional tensions.
