The search for the missing crew member of a U.S. fighter jet that crashed over southwestern Iran entered a second day Saturday, NBC News reported, as Iranian officials dismissed reports that the U.S. crew member had been captured.
One pilot from the two-seat F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down on Friday has already been rescued. However, the other crew member is still missing, the report said, citing a US official.
On Saturday, Iranian authorities along with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied reports that the missing pilot had been found or detained – as reported by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
F-15E fighter jet shot down by Iran
The downing of the US fighter jet is the first time in the month-long conflict with Iran that the US has lost a fighter jet, sparking speculation of a dramatic escalation in the US-Israeli-Iran conflict.
Reports on Friday said Israel was assisting the US in a search and rescue operation for the missing crew member.
Earlier, the Iranian regime urged people living in the area to search for the crew members as it shared images of the downed warplane on state television screens.
Iranian officials reportedly issued a public appeal for local residents to find the American crew member and offered a reward equivalent to $60,000, according to an NBC report — citing official and semi-official Iranian news organizations.
(This is a developing story. Keep checking back for more updates)
