DUBAI: A channel affiliated with Iranian state television claimed Friday that a US fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran. The US military launched a rescue operation after the media report.
A rescue operation was underway, according to an Israeli military officer briefed on the information who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a US announcement.
Social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where the Iranian channel said at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.
It would mark the first time the US has lost aircraft in Iranian territory and marks a dramatic escalation in the war since it began five weeks ago.
It was not clear if the jet was shot down or crashed. The number of crew on board was not immediately known.
The White House, Pentagon and US Central Command didn't immediately respond to several messages seeking comment.
If the claim is confirmed, it could lead to yet another dramatic escalation in the war, nearing the end of its fifth week.
Iran fired on targets across the Mideast on Friday, as Tehran kept the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors, despite US and Israeli insistence that Iran’s military capabilities have been all but destroyed.
Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of many basic goods, including food.
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles).
Authorities also urged the public to search for the pilot in neighboring Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.
Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time that Iran went on television urging the public to look for a suspected downed pilot.
An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be US aircraft in the area. The channel showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement but provided no other immediate details.
