Iran’s armed forces said Sunday they shot down three U.S. military aircraft that were allegedly involved in a rescue operation for a pilot whose aircraft crashed Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier Sunday that American forces carried out what he described as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in the history of the United States,” adding that the pilot, a “highly respected colonel”, had been recovered safely.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the operational command of the country’s armed forces, said the U.S. rescue mission “failed.”
In a statement, the command said aircraft that entered airspace in southern Isfahan province, including two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 military transport plane, were hit and were “now in flames.”
State media broadcast images showing charred wreckage scattered across a desert area, with smoke still rising from the debris.
Separately, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that strikes carried out during the operation killed five people in southwestern Iran, without specifying whether they were civilians or military personnel.
The U.S. military has not immediately commented on Iran’s claims.
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