Two Blackhawk helicopters involved in the search operation for a downed US fighter were hit by Iranian fire but managed to leave Iran’s airspace, two US officials told Reuters.
Search and rescue efforts have so far recovered one of two crew members who ejected from a US F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran, a US official told Reuters on Friday, in the first known case of its kind in the nearly five-week war.
In a separate attack, an A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter, known as a Warthog, was hit and crashed over Kuwait, with the pilot ejecting, officials said.
It is unclear the extent of the injuries to the crew of the downed aircraft.
What is happening in the Middle East?
The United States and Israel are at war with Iran. The conflict began on February 28, when a coordinated attack between the two countries killed Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
Several high-ranking Iranian regime officials were also killed. Additionally, the US claims to have destroyed dozens of Iranian ships, as well as air defense systems, planes and other military targets.
In retaliation, the Ayatollah regime carried out attacks against several countries in the region, such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and Oman. Iranian authorities claim that their targets in these nations are exclusively in the interests of the United States and Israel.
More than 1,750 civilians have died in Iran since the start of the war, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The White House, in turn, registered at least 13 directly related to the Iranian attacks.
The conflict also expanded into Lebanon. Hezbollah, an armed group supported by Iran, attacked Israeli territory in retaliation for the death of Ali Khamenei. In response, Israel has carried out air strikes against what it says are Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Hundreds of people have died on Lebanese territory since then.
With the death of much of its leadership, an Iranian council elected a new supreme leader: Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei. Experts point out that he will not make structural changes and represents the continuity of repression in the country.
Donald Trump expressed displeasure with this choice, calling it a “big mistake”. He stated that he would need to be involved in the succession process and highlighted that Mojtaba would be “unacceptable” for Iran’s leadership.
