President Donald Trump has been briefed following reports of a downed United States F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet over southern Iran that unleashed a relentless rescue mission that has so far recovered one crew member as the search continues for a second crew member.
The news broke this morning across social media channels as Iranian authorities in the country’s mountainous region claimed responsibility, surging U.S. search and rescue efforts to locate the crew. President Trump has affirmed the capabilities of the American military and was informed of the event as operations continue to expand while U.S. forces dismantle remaining Iranian air defense assets, in live coverage by FOX.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian state media both asserted they shot the jet down somewhere over the rugged terrain of the Kohgiluteh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces.
استان کهگیلویه و بویراحمد
The reporting started off with misinformation and outrageous claims usual with Iranian sources claiming a positive hit on an F-35 Lightning, the U.S. stealth fighter. This reporting was quickly invalidated after photographs surfaced of wreckage released by Iranian media showing that the aircraft was likely an F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron out of RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, notably a unit active in Operation Epic Fury.
Just prior this news, President Trump addressed the nation on Thursday evening and made it clear that the next phases of escalation will send Iran back to the stone ages. Specifically, the President referenced intended strike operations targeting Iranian bridges and electrical power infrastructure sites, as Iran claws at the ice.
The downing of the F-15 is a stark reminder that peace through strength comes at the price of danger and peril, yet the demonstrated resolve in immediate and rapid search-and-rescue operations perfectly embodies the resolve amongst our servicemembers. As society yearns to magnetize global conflict to divisive politics, the real events occurring in the Middle East are employed in the mindset of “leaving no man behind.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God” – Matthew 5:9
