Iran Shots US F-35 Jet, Captures Ejected Pilot Amid Rescue Operation

Second F-35 Crashes in Central Iran

Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters Spokesman said, "A second US fifth-generation F-35 was struck and downed over central Iran by a new IRGC Aerospace Force air-defence system. Given the massive explosion on impact and during the crash, the pilot is unlikely to have ejected," as per Press TV.
Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, reported on X that civilians had driven to the site of the crash in private cars. In the same post, it said that many Iranians in southwestern Iran tried to capture the US pilot; and that the armed forces pleaded with the public not to treat him poorly.

In the past 24 hours, this was the second US fighter jet Iran claimed to have destroyed. According to reports, the pilot’s fate is unknown since the plane has broken up, but no further details have been released about his fate. On Thursday, Iranian media reported the IRGC shot down an American stealth fighter in the skies above Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf.

US Rescue Choppers Spotted

There was even talk that the US tried to rescue ejected pilots from the border of Iran, thinking they were alive, but Tehran's forces took them. Armed tribesmen and villagers in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad were also looking for US forces after reports of an attempted rescue. They patrolled mountains and small villages. Some IRGC-linked accounts on X posted videos showing an American chopper and C-130 Hercules flying low over Iranian territory during a rescue operation.

Iran Fires Missiles at Israel Amid Tehran Blasts

Iran also shot missiles at Israel, while explosions were heard in Tehran and Isfahan on Friday as the US planned to add to its already large army presence in West Asia.

Iranian drones targeted Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery, setting fires inside the refinery. State-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp. confirmed the attack, adding that firefighting crews were on the scene to smother the flames. The company added that no one was injured. During this Middle East conflict, the refinery has been repeatedly bombed.