Both Reuters and The Wall Street Journal cited informed officials to confirm that an F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that sources familiar with the situation confirmed that efforts to rescue the pilot are currently underway.
The report stated that the U.S. military launched an emergency operation codenamed "Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR)," dispatching multiple Black Hawk helicopters and C-130s attempting to enter the region at the border between Khuzestan Province and the Central Province. However, one of the helicopters crashed after being hit by Iranian air defenses in the Lurdegan area. Iran claimed that at least one U.S. pilot had already been captured by search and capture forces following ejection and landing.
The Pentagon and the White House are currently in a state of "high silence," neither confirming nor fully denying the incident—this kind of silence typically indicates that the on-the-ground situation is extremely dire.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861459178000650/
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