One crew member from US fighter jet downed in Iran has been rescued, US media report
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Ione Wells
Foreign correspondentAccording to CBS reporting, citing two US officials, the fallout from this incident is worse than initially thought.
Not only did they say an F-15E was shot down this morning, but an A-10 Warthog aircraft that was part of the search and rescue mission for the downed jet was also shot and damaged.
The pilot from that ejected and was successfully recovered.
Two helicopters also took part in the rescue mission and retrieved the F-15E pilot who had ejected, but the search is continuing for the second crew member.
The helicopter carrying the rescued pilot was then hit by small arms fire, wounding crew members on board.
All of this indicates that, despite Donald Trump’s recent claims that there is nothing Iran can do about US aircraft in its skies - the dangers still very much exist.
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Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC PersianI'm hearing that there have been heavy explosions in east Tehran from two sources.
Three others say they're hearing fighter jets in the sky.
Iranian outlets say that air defences have been activated in the city.
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Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC PersianIran's state TV is reporting that "an American A10 aircraft was shot by the defence systems of the Army Air Defence Force and crashed in the Persian Gulf in southern Iran", citing the Iranian Army.
It adds that it was shot down hours ago around the Strait of Hormuz.
It's not clear if this is the same A-10 Warthog that the BBC's US partner CBS reports was hit during the search and rescue effort for the F-15E.
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Two US aircraft involved in the rescue of the American F-15 fighter jet over Iran have also come under fire, according to two US officials speaking to CBS.
The BBC's US partner reports that an A-10 Warthog taking part in the search and rescue was hit, with the pilot ejecting over the Gulf, where he was rescued.
Two helicopters were also involved in the search, rescuing one of the two F-15E airmen from the earlier crash, CBS says, and the helicopter carrying a recovered pilot was hit by small arms fire, injuring crew members on board. The helicopter landed safely and the personnel are being treated.
CBS earlier reported that the F-15 was shot down early afternoon local time, but there have been conflicting reports about the timing.
The search is still reportedly under way for the second crew member, a weapon systems officer.
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An Egyptian man has died during an evacuation after falling debris struck gas facilities, according to authorities in Abu Dhabi.
Two fires broke out at the Habshan gas facilities "following a successful interception" by air defence systems, the Abu Dhabi media office says.
An assessment is under way at the site, the office adds.
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Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC PersianThe death toll from strikes on Thursday on a bridge in Karaj - a city near Tehran in Alborz province - has risen to 13, according to Amirhossein Daneshkohan, Director General of the Alborz Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in Iran.
Earlier today, we reported that the death toll was eight.
Daneshkohan said those killed were from “all walks of life”, including “municipal employees”.
Iranian media reported that 95 people were injured when the bridge under construction was bombed.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran there will be strikes on its bridges and electric power plants if its leaders do not agree to his terms to end the war.
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Israel's military has delayed strikes in the area of Iran where the search for missing US fighter jet crew is under way, according to reports from CNN, AP news agency and Israel's Channel 12.
CNN says an Israeli official told the network that strikes had been postponed in the search area, while Channel 12, citing a senior Israeli official, reported the strikes had been cancelled. AP also reported that air strikes had been halted in relevant areas due to the rescue efforts.
AP says the Israeli official spoke to them on condition of anonymity "because the operation is ongoing".
The Israel Defense Forces has not confirmed these reports.
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Grace Eliza Goodwin
US reporterI’ve just spoken to two military analysts, who say what’s most striking about Iran reportedly shooting down a US fighter jet is that it didn’t happen sooner.
“It was sort of inevitable,” says Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at think tank Defense Priorities.
It was only “a matter of time before there was some incident like this”, she says.
“We know that Iran has anti-aircraft weapons, and the idea that they had all been eliminated was quite hard to believe and likely inaccurate from the start,” she adds.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Iran’s air capabilities have been obliterated.
James Jeffrey, a military strategy expert and fellow at think tank The Washington Institute, also says it’s “amazing” that this is the first fighter jet Iran reportedly shot down.
But both Jeffrey and Kavanagh say that, in the grand scheme of the war, this incident matters very little.
While it’s "a big victory" for Iran to have shot down an American jet, for the US, losing a single aircraft “isn’t going to change the operational outcome of the war,” Kavanagh says.
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By Joshua Cheetham
BBC Verify has spoken to an expert who confirms that debris in images widely circulating on social media has come from a US F-15E Strike Eagle.
The piece shown are a wingtip and part of a vertical stabiliser from a plane from the US 494th Fighter Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath in the UK, according to Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for airpower and technology in the Military Sciences team at the Rusi think tank.
A reverse image search shows the images only began to circulate on social media today.
We cannot confirm where the images were taken as they are close-ups and there isn't a clear sign that lets us geolocate them, but we have checked them for AI and there are no signs of manipulation.
Image source, XImage caption,
This image is one of many shared on social media which claims to show debris from a US fighter jet
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Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
While we don’t know exactly where the jet was downed, there are names of two provinces mentioned frequently on Iran’s state media so far - Khuzestan and Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad.
BBC Verify has confirmed that a video showing what appears to be a US plane accompanied by two helicopters flying over southern Iran was recorded in Khuzestan province.
Khuzestan is a core centre of Iran’s economy and a major powerhouse for oil and a number of other industries. The province is home to more than 4.7 million people.
Its major steel company was recently targeted during the war and shut down as the result of strikes.
Right next to Khuzestan is mountainous Kohgiluyeh - more than 700,000 are estimated to be living there.
Iranian news outlets have published a video claiming to show people there “searching for the American pilot”.
An Iranian state TV newsreader for a local channel has reported that rewards will be given to anyone who captures the pilot alive.
- Information is still coming in after reports that a US fighter jet has been downed over Iranian territory.
What we know:
- An F-15E fighter jet has reportedly been downed over southern Iran
- One crew member from the jet has been rescued by US forces, according to the BBC's US partner CBS - an F-15E jet usually has a two-person crew
- US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
- Iranian media report that authorities have offered a reward of 10 billion tomans (about £50,000) for anyone who captures a downed US crew member alive
What we don't yet know:
- While one crew member has reportedly been rescued, there is no word yet on any others
- The circumstances surrounding the downing of the jet are still unclear
- We have not yet heard from Trump or the Pentagon
- As reports suggest a search and rescue operation is under way for a downed US F-15 fighter jet in southern Iran, fighting continues.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has launched another wave of strikes in Tehran.
In the past 24 hours, it says it has carried out "more than 70 strikes in western and central Iran targeting ballistic missile launch sites and unmanned aerial vehicles".
In a separate update, the IDF says it has started striking parts of Beirut.
It also reports detecting multiple barrages of missiles fired at its territory from Iran throughout the day.
- Footage widely shared on social media and Iranian state media showing US warplanes over Iran matches typical search and rescue mission manoeuvres, according to the BBC's US partner CBS.
CBS national security analyst Aaron MacLean says the footage seems to show US aircraft flying at low altitudes in broad daylight over hostile territory.
He says this is something the US would only do if it had a good reason, such as trying to rescue a downed pilot or pilots.
- Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
Image source, NurPhoto via Getty Images
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has mocked the US on his X account after reports that an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran.
“After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from 'regime change' to 'Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?',” a post on Ghalibaf's account says.
Trump said on 31 March that there has been regime change in Iran, saying the new crop of Iranian leaders are "much less radicalised" and more "rational".
Ghalibaf has also sarcastically posted, "Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses."
His account has been very active recently, posting occasional memes, while he was last seen on state TV on 17 March.
Some unconfirmed reports suggested the Trump administration was considering Ghalibaf as a potential partner and possibly even a future leader.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
We’ve had reports from anonymous officials saying a US F-15 was downed over Iran, but there’s been little public comment from either the White House or the Pentagon.
So far, the only word from the White House is that President Trump has been briefed on the situation.
This is likely because search and rescue efforts were still under way, making public confirmation difficult and sensitive during a delicate operation.
We now know that one crew member has been recovered, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner.
Officials are expected to face questions about the circumstances of the incident.
US officials, including Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, have repeatedly said Iran’s air defence capabilities have been destroyed in the conflict.
A confirmed shoot-down of a fighter jet would immediately raise questions about Iran’s ability and willingness to continue the fight, and the threat it might pose to US personnel and aircraft over the country.
Image source, Getty Images
- Ione Wells
Foreign correspondent
This is the first known case of a US fighter jet being shot down over Iran during this conflict. Three F-15Es were shot down by accidental "friendly fire" by Kuwaiti air defences earlier in the war.
Why does that matter?
Firstly, this comes after Donald Trump and his defence secretary Pete Hegseth have both repeatedly suggested that the US has effectively won this war. Hegseth and military commanders have spoken of "air superiority" and how degraded Iran’s air defences are. Trump had claimed that Iran "can’t do a thing" about US planes flying over its country.
That rhetoric now seems over-confident. This shows that Iran still retains - albeit likely a limited and very reduced - capacity to defend its skies.
Secondly, this comes as the US has been threatening further escalation while also talking up hopes for a deal. This could be used as fuel to accelerate that US escalation in retaliation.
It also may increase nerves among the American public that more US service people are being impacted by this war, at a time when the Trump administration has reportedly been mulling a potential ground invasion - which would increase the risk to US personnel significantly.
- US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the US fighter jet that was downed over Iran, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
"The President has been briefed," she says.
- One crew member from the downed F-15 fighter jet has been rescued, two US officials have told CBS News.
The crew member was rescued by US forces, according to the officials.
- BBC Verify has confirmed a video showing what appears to be a US plane accompanied by two helicopters flying over southern Iran as a search and rescue operation is carried out for the crew of an American jet.
We have confirmed the video was filmed in Khuzestan province, near a bridge over the Karun river, at this location: 31.591393, 50.275430.
The video has been checked for recency and for signs of AI manipulation.
Reports from the US, quoting unnamed officials, say a search is under way after the shooting down of a US fighter jet over Iran.
BBC Verify is continuing to check footage said to show this operation.
Media caption,
Video appears to show a US plane and helicopters over southern Iran
- Chris Partridge
BBC News weapons analyst
Debris of a downed aircraft that originally was posted to social media show wreckage consistent with that of an F-15E Strike Eagle.
These are dual-role fighter jets designed for both air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. In Iran, they are most likely to have been involved in Defensive Counter Air roles to shoot down Iranian drones and cruise missiles.
In its air-to-ground strike role, the jet is a weapons platform capable of dropping laser and GPS guided precision munitions, as well as other bombs.
The aircraft has two crew: the pilot in the front who flies the jet and a Weapons Systems Officer in the back seat. The "Wizzo" has four screens in front of them and is responsible for selecting targets and making sure the weapons are properly programmed for the appropriate attack profile.
This two-crew system allows the workload to be divided up, particularly in a congested air environment where the pilot is trying to evade threats.
We do not know what specifically brought down this US jet, but if it was taken down by the Iranians then the most likely reason is a surface-to-air missile (SAM).
Short range, infra-red guided MANPADs are portable systems that remain a serious threat in Iran because they can be quickly moved around. The use of flares "popped" by targeted aircraft is the most common means of trying to defeat SAMs.
US military commanders have often talked of air superiority over parts of Iran in this war, but this incident, if confirmed to be a shoot-down, shows how the dangers very much remain.
