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U.S. forces pulled one crew member to safety after a fighter jet was downed over central Iran, while uncertainty surrounds the fate of the second pilot, local media reported on Friday.
The second pilot remains unaccounted for as search-and-rescue operations continue, officials told CBS News.
Initial reports indicated that both pilots ejected before the aircraft crashed inside Iranian territory. Their exact condition remained unclear in the immediate aftermath, with conflicting signals emerging from the ground.
Footage released by Iranian state media appeared to show debris from the crash site, including aircraft fragments and what looked like an ejection seat.
Initial assessments identified the downed aircraft as an F-15E, with its structure and markings pointing to a jet likely linked to the UK-based 48th Fighter Wing, earlier reports indicated.
Iranian media offered mixed accounts. Some reports suggested both pilots survived the ejection, while others indicated that Iranian forces may have taken at least one into custody.
NBC News also reported that two U.S. helicopters involved in the search-and-rescue mission for the downed F-15 in Iran were also shot down, with all crew members surviving.
The White House confirmed the incident, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation.
This is the first time a U.S. aircraft has been shot down over Iran since the war between Israel, the United States and Iran began on Feb. 28. The escalation followed coordinated strikes on Iranian targets, which Tehran responded to with missile and drone attacks across the region.
Earlier in the war, three F-15 jets were lost in a separate incident involving friendly fire from Kuwaiti air defenses.
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