Sources from western Iran report that American forces have failed to recover the pilot of a downed F-35 fighter jet after a high-risk search operation near Iran’s borders. According to local correspondents of Iranian media in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, U.S. military units launched an urgent rescue mission earlier on Friday using Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules, but the effort ended without success.
Initial reports suggest the aircraft was shot down by Iran’s Armed Forces, with the pilot ejecting and landing the Iranian territory. While U.S. forces reportedly believed the pilot to be alive and attempted extraction, emerging accounts indicate that the individual may have already been captured by Iranian forces. Officials have not confirmed the status, and further details are expected.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that this marks the second destruction of an F-35 in Iranian airspace, claiming the aircraft was intercepted by a newly deployed advanced defense system operated by its aerospace division. The IRGC stated that the jet, allegedly linked to the Lakenheath squadron, was completely destroyed before crashing.
The incident comes amid a rapidly intensifying conflict that began after the assassination of Ali Khamenei on February 28, alongside several senior military officials and civilians. In the aftermath, the United States and Israel initiated a broad military campaign involving extensive airstrikes across Iran, targeting both military installations and civilian infrastructure, resulting in significant casualties and widespread damage.
Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes, deploying waves of missiles and drones against American and Israeli positions in the region. The reported capture of a U.S. pilot, if confirmed, could mark a critical escalation point in the conflict, with potential global implications as tensions continue to rise.
