Iranian media claimed that a US fighter pilot had ejected over southwestern Iran, and urged Iranians in the area to help hunt them down. US Central Command, the Pentagon and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles).
The US military launched a rescue operation after local Iranian state media said an American fighter jet went down over southwest Iran and at least one crew member ejected.
A rescue operation was underway, according to an Israeli military officer briefed on the information who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a US announcement.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had launched a wave of strikes in Tehran, alongside parallel attacks in Beirut.
“In addition to the strikes in Beirut, the IDF has begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian regime in Tehran,” the military said.
