Iranian Fire Hits Two U.S. Rescue Helicopters

(MENAFN) U.S. officials confirmed Friday that two American rescue helicopters conducting search-and-rescue operations for a downed F-15 fighter jet were hit by Iranian fire, U.S. media reported.

All crew members aboard both helicopters escaped unharmed, media reported, citing a U.S. official.

In a separate development, a second U.S. Air Force combat aircraft went down in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, with its sole pilot successfully rescued, The New York Times reported, citing two U.S. officials.

The officials identified the aircraft as an A-10 Warthog attack plane that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz roughly simultaneously with the downing of the F-15E over Iran. One crew member has been recovered, while search-and-rescue teams remain actively deployed in pursuit of the second airman.

Earlier Friday, U.S. officials confirmed that an F-15E fighter had been shot down over southern Iran. One of the two-member crew was rescued by U.S. forces, while efforts to locate the second airman are still underway.

The incident marks the first confirmed case of a U.S. warplane being brought down inside Iranian territory since the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

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