Overview
- Iranian forces downed a U.S. F-15E on Friday in southwestern Iran, with one crew member rescued and the second still unaccounted for as U.S. teams continue a search-and-rescue mission.
- A second U.S. combat plane, identified by officials as an A-10 Warthog, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz around the same time, and its lone pilot was rescued.
- Iranian state media aired calls for civilians to locate or capture any downed U.S. aircrew and promoted rewards, while Washington had not confirmed Tehran’s additional claims of striking other U.S. aircraft.
- Photos of F-15E wreckage circulated that analysts said match the jet’s design, yet fake or misattributed videos also spread online, including recycled combat clips presented as new captures.
- The incidents come five weeks into a U.S.- and Israeli-led air campaign that has not stopped Iranian attacks on Gulf energy sites or its squeeze on Hormuz shipping, pushing oil prices above $100 and threatening higher costs for goods.