One of the two crew members aboard a U.S. fighter jet shot down over Iran has been located and rescued by U.S. special forces, while the search for the second remains ongoing, Newsmax confirmed Friday.
CBS News reported that the rescued pilot was recovered within Iranian territory.
Sources tell Newsmax a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter was struck while conducting rescue operations for the second F-15 crew member over Iran, but was able to safely exit Iranian territory and land without further incident.
Newsmax confirmed that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident.
The two crew members aboard the F-15E ejected safely after the aircraft was hit by Iranian fire, according to Axios.
An Israeli official said planned Israeli strikes were called off to avoid interfering with the rescue operation, the report said.
A local Iranian state television channel reported that at least one U.S. pilot ejected from the jet after it was hit. The broadcast aired a message urging civilians to capture any surviving pilots and turn them over to authorities, offering what it described as a "precious prize."
An on-screen crawl went further, encouraging viewers to "shoot them if you see them," referring to individuals allegedly seen in circulating social media footage.
The message later changed to a bounty.
"Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," Iran's Fars news agency said.
"Dear and honorable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus," said an Iranian television reporter on the official local channel.
Iranian state media also released images and video purportedly showing debris from the downed aircraft, including what appears to be an ejection seat. The footage suggests the aircraft may have been an F-15 fighter jet, though that has not been independently verified.
The Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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