The US-led search and rescue operations for the second crew member who is missing from the downed F-15E fighter jet have extended into a second day. Meanwhile, Iran’s diplomatic missions in Pakistan and South Africa delivered a strong condemnation to a woman who asserted that one of her sons serves as a fighter pilot.
A pilot was rescued on Friday after the F-15E Strike Eagle became the first US aircraft to be shot down over Iran during the five-week-long conflict. However, the second member of the two-person crew remains unaccounted for.
Iranian media published images of wreckage, featuring a distinctive F-15 tail fin and a deployed ejector seat on Friday. Additionally, state media and businesses within the country have offered a bounty for the capture of the missing crew member, as per The Guardian.
The US Air Force launched an extensive search and rescue operation, employing low-flying Pave Hawk helicopters and specialized C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
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Woman claims one of her sons is a fighter pilot
In a post on X, the woman claimed that she is yet to receive any communication from her son or his unit, and that her heart is “heavy with worry”.
“Please keep the two F-15 pilots who were shot down in your prayers tonight. One of my sons is a fighter pilot, and I still haven’t heard any news from him or his unit. My heart is heavy with worry. Please pray for all the pilots and their families,” she wrote.
Iran reacts
Responding to her post, Iran cautioned that her sons are “more in danger” under the administration of US President Donald Trump than they would be if they were in Iranian custody.
In response to her public request on X for prayers for the missing pilots, the Iranian Embassy in Pakistan stated, “Be sure your sons are more in danger with DJ Trump than in custody in Iran. Pray he’s kept captive by Iran than found by US rescue teams! As Muslim and civilised Iranians, we know how to treat captives in custody with dignity and respect.”
The Iranian embassy located in South Africa has intensified the communication, referencing Iran’s historical approach to prisoners of war. “In Iran, long before so-called humanitarian laws were written, the rights of POWs (prisoners of war) were already defined. We do not treat POWs like your savage allies, the Zionists. We have an Iranian civilization. We do not live like in the Stone Age, like America,” it said.
Military pilots stated that the missing F-15 crew member would likely attempt to evade the Iranian military for as long as feasible, with the hope that US special forces arriving by helicopter could facilitate their rescue.
The precise circumstances surrounding the downing of the F-15 remain unclear. But Iran claimed responsibility for its destruction. The US military refrained from making any public statements, while US President Donald Trump remarked on Friday that this incident would not hinder the ongoing efforts to negotiate a peace agreement with Iran.
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