Multiple U.S. aircraft fly over the impact area of the fighter plane shot down by Iran to find the surviving pilots.
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The US military began a search and rescue operation after the alleged shooting down of a US fighter in Iranian territory, according to the Iranian news agency Fars and US sources confirmed to international media. This event marks the first known case of a US plane crashing inside hostile territory in the conflict that has lasted for more than a month
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Fars noted that an air defense system of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force hit and destroyed a fighter identified by them as an F-35. However, analysis of the published images suggests that it would be an F-15, belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath, in the United Kingdom. Fragments of the aircraft showed a partial logo of the “US Air Forces in Europe” and safety warnings typical of an F-15, which was confirmed by experts
.
The fate of the pilots was not immediately clear. Initially, Fars indicated that the plane had been “completely destroyed” and that it was unlikely that they had managed to eject. Subsequently, Iranian media reported that ground forces had launched an operation to locate the pilots or the wreckage of the plane. In addition, state television and allied agencies urged civilians to collaborate in the capture of the “enemy pilot”, even offering rewards, raising concerns about the safety of the population and possible violations of international norms regarding non-combat combatants.
Despite the fact that the terrorist regime in Iran claims to have shot down an F-35, the wreckage determined that it is an F-15E fighter
The demolition would be added to other incidents that occurred during the so-called “Operation Epic Fury”, the name given by the Donald Trump administration to the military intervention against Iran following the February 28 attacks that caused the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
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To date, the conflict has left 13 U.S. soldiers dead, seven from enemy fire and six in plane crashes, and nearly 370 injured. Previous incidents include three F-15s accidentally shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, whose crew members managed to eject safely, and the accident of a KC-135 tanker plane in Iraq, which was not related
to hostile fire.
Military analysts stress that the U.S. response reflects great discipline and professionalism in the face of Iranian provocation. Iran's insistence on presenting contradictory versions, combined with the call for civilians to capture a pilot, evidences a propaganda strategy that seeks to politically pressure and demoralize American forces, instead of managing the conflict in a transparent manner
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The regional conflict began after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian military targets following the stalemate in negotiations to curb Iran's threatening nuclear and missile programs. Tehran's retaliation included terrorist drone and missile attacks along the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, increasing the risks of direct confrontations with U.S.
and allied forces. The Trump administration immediately began a heroic rescue operation to find the missing pilots in hostile territory
