Washington: A US government official has claimed that second crew member from the downed F-15E fighter jet has been recovered. Claiming that the missing crew member was confirmed ‘rescued’, he added that the pilot was rescued after a heavy ‘firefight.’
The report further claimed that a rescue team is still needed to exfiltrate from Iran and return to safety. Earlier on Friday, there were reports that a US fighter jet was shot down in Iran, as officials announced a reward for the capture of the two pilots. While one of them was recovered, the fate of the other continued to remain uncertain, and there is no official confirmation yet of his recovery
Claiming that the officer was rescued, US Representative Don Bacon wrote on X, “Reports of the second USAF aircrew member rescued is an answer to all our prayers. I honor the bravery of our search and rescue teams and our special forces. I hope no casualties. And, I salute the F-15E Weapon Systems Officer who put their survival skills to work in a very dangerous and harrowing situation”.
The fighter jet was one of the two attacked on Friday, and one service member was rescued. The war in the Middle East started after US and Israel conducted a joint operation in Iran, taking the region into chaos. Since then, the conflict has only escalated.
The two jets were reportedly downed two days after US President Donald Trump claimed that the American forces “beat and completely decimated Iran.” Both the US and Israel have claimed that Iran’s air defences have been destroyed.
Meanwhile, Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to reopen Straits of Hormuz. Iran, however, rejected the threat, calling it a “helpless, nervous and stupid action”. It also threatened to take further action in case of any further provocation.