From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 3, 2026
Iran looking for reportedly downed US pilot as American forces said to launch search
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Iran’s Fars news agency says the army has launched a search for the pilot of a US fighter jet hit by an air defense system.
Contacted by AFP, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for military operations in the Middle East, doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today,” Fars says.
Iranian state media airs footage of what it says is wreckage of a downed US jet and shares images online of what appear to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones.
Wild footage from a USAF C-130 fueling two helicopters over Iran shared by telegram channels. The cars & the dialect are Iranian and from southwest. pic.twitter.com/K9cufOOY26
— Ramin Khanizadeh (@RKhanizadeh) April 3, 2026
It says the aircraft was targeted over central Iran and may have gone down in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, citing a police statement.
Iranian media urges residents of the area to join the hunt for the pilot or pilots, offering a bounty for the capture of any US servicemen, while a local television channel initially urged viewers who see Americans to “shoot them as soon as you see them.”
The incident is the first report of a US fighter jet being downed in Iranian territory since the start of the US-Israel war against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
The Times of Israel Community.