Trump Gets Bad And Sad News On Friday

One of the two U.S. service members aboard a fighter jet shot down over Iran has been safely recovered, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Search efforts are ongoing for the second crew member, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Both individuals ejected from the aircraft before it went down.

The House Armed Services Committee was briefed by the Pentagon on Friday that the status of the second crew member from the F-15E Strike Eagle is still unclear, according to a congressional aide. Typically, such a designation indicates that officials do not yet know the individual’s location.

During the rescue operation, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter came under fire from Iranian forces but was able to withdraw after attempting to locate the downed crew, a source familiar with the situation said.

Iranian state media earlier reported that its military had shot down the U.S. aircraft, marking what would be the first confirmed instance of Tehran bringing down an American jet since the conflict began several weeks ago. Images released by Iranian outlets appeared to show debris consistent with a U.S. fighter aircraft.

The United States Central Command has not publicly commented on the incident.

Additional reports from Tasnim News Agency indicated that U.S. forces deployed search-and-rescue assets, including transport aircraft and helicopters, to locate the missing personnel.

The incident comes amid a series of escalating military developments in the region. In a separate attack last week, an Iranian missile reportedly struck a base in Saudi Arabia, destroying a E-3 Sentry, an early warning aircraft valued at roughly $300 million.

Earlier in the conflict, U.S. officials also said that Kuwait had unintentionally shot down three American F-15 fighter jets during operations in March.