Image: from The Informant X @theinformant_x
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
TEHRAN / WASHINGTON – A high-stakes combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) operation is underway in southwestern Iran following the downing of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle. U.S. officials confirmed Friday that one crew member has been successfully rescued from hostile territory, while a frantic search remains active for the second airman.
The incident marks the first confirmed loss of a manned American aircraft inside Iran since the regional conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, began five weeks ago.
The Downing and Rescue Efforts
According to U.S. officials and reports from CBS News, the F-15E was operating over the mountainous terrain of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province when it was struck by Iranian air defenses. Both the pilot and the weapons systems officer (WSO) are believed to have ejected before the aircraft impacted the ground.
Social media footage from the region geolocated near Behbahan showed U.S. CSAR assets, including HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, flying at low altitudes to locate the downed crew. Reports indicate that at least one crew member was recovered by these teams in what military analysts describe as an “extremely high-risk” mission deep within contested airspace.
“U.S. forces are continuing their efforts to secure the remaining crew member,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, confirming that President Donald Trump has been briefed and is monitoring the situation from the West Wing.
A Widening Conflict
The loss of the Strike Eagle comes at a volatile moment in the five-week war. Just days ago, President Trump claimed in a national address that the U.S. had “completely decimated” Iran’s defensive capabilities. The successful targeting of an F-15E—a sophisticated multi-role fighter, suggests that significant portions of Iran’s mobile air defense network remain operational.
In a separate but concurrent incident on Friday, a U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II was also lost in the region. The pilot of that aircraft successfully navigated to Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting and was subsequently rescued.
Escalation and Humanitarian Concerns
In Tehran, state-linked media outlets have circulated images of wreckage, including a tail fin consistent with F-15 markings. The Fars News Agency reported that local Iranian authorities have offered rewards for the capture of U.S. personnel, further complicating the rescue environment for American special operations teams.
As of Friday evening, the Pentagon has not released the names of the crew members involved. Military officials stressed that the window for a safe recovery narrows with each passing hour, as both U.S. rescue teams and Iranian ground forces converge on the crash site.