Tehran, April 3: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Friday that its aerospace forces successfully shot down another US F-35 fighter jet over central Iran.
According to reports from Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the US military is currently conducting operations to locate the downed jet’s pilot but has not yet achieved success.
The report indicates that US forces utilized Black Hawk helicopters and C-130 Hercules aircraft in the search efforts within the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces of western Iran, but these attempts have proven unsuccessful.
It is reported that the pilot ejected from the jet before its destruction and landed within Iranian territory. The IRGC stated that the fighter jet belonged to the Lakenheath Squadron and was completely destroyed.
Tasnim’s report also suggested that the American pilot may have been captured by Iranian military forces. However, some sources indicate that the US suspects the pilot is alive and attempts to extract him have not succeeded.
Previously, the IRGC claimed to have downed US F-16 Fighting Falcons and MQ-9 Reaper drones in southern Iranian airspace.
This incident occurs amid heightened tensions in the region following joint US-Israeli attacks that began on February 28, prompting Iran and its allies to target US and Israeli positions in the Middle East.
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