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US-Israeli strikes on Iran

IN BRIEF: Downed F-35 in Iran, failure of the US rescue operation

Axios reported that US forces are actively seeking to recover the two pilots of the downed aircraft

© AP Photo/ Geert Vanden Wijngaert

MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces announced on Friday morning that a US F-35 fighter jet was shot down over Iran’s central regions. The official military statement was broadcast by Iranian state television. The local television station in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province also announced a substantial reward for anyone who captures the pilot alive. TASS has summarized the known details.

Iranian Perspective

- Iranian officials assert that the F-35 was struck and destroyed by highly advanced air defenses operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of Iran’s armed forces.

- A spokesperson from the Iranian General Staff indicated that the missile was guided by IRGC’s superior technology.

- Military estimates suggest that the pilot’s self-evacuation from the aircraft is unlikely.

According to US sources and media outlets, including Axios, the wreckage displayed by Iranian authorities might not be from an F-35 but could belong to an F-15 fighter jet.

Efforts to Rescue the Pilot

The United States launched a search and rescue operation following the incident, involving Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules. However, the operation proved unsuccessful, Tasnim news agency said.

According to the agency’s sources Iranian air defenses attacked one of the helicopters near the border, forcing it to retreat from the rescue zone.

Axios reports that US forces are actively seeking to recover the two pilots of the downed aircraft.

Reward for the US Pilot

- According to NourNews, Iranian authorities located and detained the pilot of the downed American F-35 during the rescue operation.

- The agency also claimed that footage showing the pilot’s seat had been intentionally released earlier to deceive US intelligence efforts.

- Furthermore, Iranian provincial television in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad announced that a monetary reward would be offered to anyone capturing the pilot alive.

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