US aircraft downed in Iran; One crew member rescued amid escalation, AP sources say

An American aircraft was shot down in Iran on Friday, with one crew member rescued in a joint US-Israeli operation. The Pentagon confirmed receiving notification of the incident but withheld further details. President Donald Trump has been briefed, though no additional information was shared.

Dubai: One crew member was rescued Friday after an American aircraft was shot down in Iran, according to one US and one Israeli official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive ongoing military operations.

The rescue occurred as the US military was conducting a search and rescue operation, according to three people familiar who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitivity of the situation. Israel is helping the United States with the operation.

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According to an email from the Pentagon obtained by The Associated Press, the US military said that it received notification of “an aircraft being shot down” in the Middle East. The email did not provide more details.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a previous statement that President Donald Trump had been briefed but did not offer any additional information.

It was the first time the US has lost aircraft in Iranian territory and constitutes a dramatic escalation in the war since it began five weeks ago. It was not clear if the jet was shot down or crashed.

Iran fired on targets across the Mideast on Friday, as Tehran kept the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours, despite US and Israeli insistence that Iran’s military capabilities have been all but destroyed.