On Friday, U.S. military search and rescue aircraft were observed flying at low altitudes over Iran following reports of an American fighter jet being downed by the Iranian military.
Verified footage shared on social media by reputable sources such as CNN and The New York Times depicts a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft accompanied by two refueling helicopters, navigating the skies above Iran’s Khuzestan Province.
This video emerged shortly after news circulated that a search operation was in progress. Only one of the two crew members who ejected from the fighter jet had been successfully rescued by U.S. special forces.
The search for the second pilot continues, with their whereabouts currently unknown.
In a collaborative effort, Israel is reportedly assisting the United States in the ongoing search and rescue operation.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have swiftly placed a bounty on the crew members, urging civilians to remain vigilant and report any sightings of the survivors.
Social media was inundated with images, too, purportedly showing wreckage from the downed aircraft.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that “newly developed and advanced air defenses” had helped down — gloating that it “completely destroyed and crashed.
“The Pentagon and US Central Command haven’t yet commented.
It marks the first time the US has lost aircraft in Iranian territory in the nearly five-week-old war.
With Post wires
