US rescues one of two crew members from fighter jet shot down by Iran

However, a search and rescue operation is still ongoing for the second crew member whose status remains unknown.

US military officials say one of the two crew members of the crashed fighter jet has been rescued, according to CNN.

The rescued crew member is reported to be alive and is currently in US custody, receiving medical treatment.

However, a search-and-rescue operation is still ongoing for the second crew member, whose status remains unknown.

CNN reports that an official confirmed the aircraft shot down was a F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet.

This typically carries a pilot and a weapons systems officer. It is a dual-role fighter jet designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

They were likely engaged in Defensive Counter Air operations, focusing on intercepting and destroying Iranian drones and cruise missiles, according to reports.

Iran had announced on Friday morning that it had downed the jet flying over central Iran. The IRGC also flooded social media with purported images of the wreck.

This will be the second US fighter jet to be struck in two weeks, but the first to crash in Iranian territory.

A US F-35 stealth jet had been struck a fortnight ago during a combat mission over Iran, forcing it to make an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East. No casualty was recorded in that attack.

The recent attack follows President Donald Trump’s threat to “bomb Iran back to the Stone Age” by increasing attacks on civilian infrastructure if it does not accept a ceasefire agreement.