One of the F-15’s crew members has already been rescued. Mehr News Agency said an Iranian projectile struck a US helicopter during the operation to search for the downed pilot.
"An American hostile fighter jet in central Iranian airspace was struck and destroyed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)Aerospace Force's advanced air defence system," an Iranian military's central operational command stated earlier.
"The jet was completely obliterated, and further searches are ongoing."
Iranian authorities say they are actively searching for the missing crew member, while Washington has launched a complex recovery operation involving elite units.
Tehran has also promised a reward to anyone who finds the pilot and hands them over.
A video that emerged from Iran on Friday, and verified by the BBC, shows what appears to be a US rescue mission underway over Khuzestan province.
However, reports indicate the rescue teams were met with Iran's defensive gunfire.
Such operations are typically carried out using helicopters, supported by refueling aircraft and additional warplanes tasked with patrols and potential strikes.
Former US commanders told US media that units would likely be searching the area using Black Hawk helicopters, supported by refueling aircraft and additional warplanes tasked with patrols and potential strikes, and if the terrain is inaccessible to helicopters, pararescuers may be deployed by air and continue the mission on foot
But the broader picture for Washington is worsening. In a separate incident, a US A-10 Thunderbolt II was struck and crashed shortly after leaving Iranian airspace.
Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, commander of Iran’s Joint Air Defense Base, said the downing of US aircraft was “the result of tactics, the use of modern equipment, and innovations in air defense systems.” He emphasized that these developments have caused “confusion and bewilderment for the enemy,” without revealing specific capabilities.
The F-15 incident is particularly notable as it was the first time US aircraft had been downed over Iran's territory and came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”
The last time a US fighter jet was shot down in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, retired Air Force Brigadier General Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot, told AP.
The war, now entering its sixth week, is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to US and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, commander of Iran’s Joint Air Defense Base, said the loss of the US aircraft was “the result of tactics, the use of modern equipment, and innovations in Iran’s air defense systems,” according to the state-affiliated IRNA news agency. He did not elaborate on the nature of these innovations.
“This has caused confusion and bewilderment for the enemy,” he said.
The latest incidents bring the total number of US manned aircraft lost in the war to at least seven.
On 2 March, three F-15 fighter jets were downed by Kuwaiti air defenses in a “friendly fire” incident over Kuwait, and on 12 March, six US personnel were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq during operations.
On 27 March, an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft was destroyed on the ground during an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. A US tanker aircraft was also damaged.
In addition, a US F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing after being struck by Iranian fire.
On Saturday, Iran's Fars news agency reported that “advanced modern” air defense systems used by the IRGC shot down an MQ-1 drone over Isfahan province.
Iran says its forces have downed more than 160 enemy drones since the war started.
According to figures released by the Pentagon, 365 US service members have been wounded since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, while 13 have been killed.
Strikes on infrastructure
Over 1,600 civilians have been killed in Iran by the US-Israeli bombardment, including at least 244 children.
At least one person was killed on Saturday morning in a US-Israeli missile attack on a residential area in northern Tehran, according to Iran’s Mehr News.
A video report showed destroyed cars and blood on the road at the scene. The Iranian Red Crescent said it was providing emergency assistance following overnight strikes, sharing footage of a building that had been blackened and gutted.
A music school in Tehran, which had served as a haven for students of all ages, was also destroyed in an air strike, devastating its owners, staff, and students.
Heavy explosions were also heard in eastern Tehran, with Iranian outlets reporting that air defenses had been activated.
A heavy bombardment was reported in the industrial city of Isfahan, which has a big population.
The Americans and Israelis appear to be increasingly targeting the Iranian industry.
Iranian media, citing a regional official, said a US-Israeli attack hit a petrochemical hub in the southwestern port city of Mahshahr, wounding five people.
Deputy governor for Khuzestan province, Valiollah Hayati, told Fars that three companies in the zone were hit, adding that it was unknown yet if there were any deaths.
Another projectile from a US-Israeli attack hit near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran on Saturday, killing one person, state media reported.
"Following the US-Zionist criminal attacks, this Saturday morning, around 8:30 am, a projectile hit the area near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the southwest," said the official IRNA news agency.
Other air strikes have been reported in Urmia, Khorramabad, Karaj, and Qom.
Earlier, the Israeli army said it had carried out more than 70 strikes in western and central Iran, while Iran continued to launch missiles toward Israel in retaliation.
Air raid sirens were heard just before a missile struck the Israeli settlement of Bnei Brak, just east of Tel Aviv, and Israeli medics say one person was injured after an Iranian missile attack.
Video footage showed smoke rising from the scene, while Israeli media said homes had been damaged in a rocket attack on the northern city of Kiryat Shmona.
Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that Iran would increase its own attacks on energy sites in the region in response to threats from Trump of attacks on infrastructure.
A drone attack on a refinery owned by Kuwait's national oil company on Friday sparked fires, while a separate Iranian attack damaged a power and desalination complex.
Debris from an aerial intercept struck the façade of an office belonging to the US technology company Oracle in Dubai, according to the city’s government media office. No injuries were reported.
Oracle was among 17 US tech companies that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had threatened earlier in the week, warning of possible attacks if US and Israeli strikes continue to target civilians and infrastructure, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
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