Iran puts BOUNTY on American pilots as regime airs chilling footage claiming it shot down US jet
Iranian state media has urged civilians to capture American pilots after the regime claimed it shot down a US fighter jet.
The Iranian state-run Mehr News agency aired footage on Friday of a female anchor calling on civilians to help capture pilots of an American F-15E Strike Eagle that the regime says was allegedly shot down over Southern Iran.
Axios confirmed on Friday that Iran had shot down the fighter jet, citing Iranian media and a source familiar with the incident, and reported that a search-and-rescue operation is underway to locate the two crew members.
This would mark the first time a US jet has been downed by enemy fire since the start of the war, if the claims from Iran and Axios are confirmed.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
Iranian media released images purportedly showing debris from the downed US aircraft, while videos circulating on social media appeared to show American jets flying low over southern Iran for a search-and-rescue operation.
The Islamic regime also shared video of what it claimed to be an ‘enemy’ F-15 being shot down over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz but US military has dismissed the claim as false.
A photo emerged on Friday of an ejection seat as the whereabouts or status of the crew currently remains unknown.
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged local residents in Southern Iran to hunt down and hand over the ‘enemy pilot’ to regime authorities.
Civilians were promised were promised a ‘valuable reward’ if they successfully brought in the pilots.
According to the Associated Press, the channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region.
Viewers were also told to ‘shoot them if you see them,’ referring to US aircrafts flying low in the region in an apparent search for the crew members.
The regime has previously made a series of false claims about shooting down piloted US planes.
However, Friday was the first time state media has called on the public to look for the suspected American pilots.
