Iran Media Says Army Searching for Pilot of Downed US Fighter Jet

Iran's Fars news agency said Friday the army had launched a search for the pilot of a US fighter jet hit by an air defense system.

Contacted by AFP, the US Central Command, responsible for military operations in the Middle East, did not 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 said.

A local television station aired footage of what it said was the wreckage of a downed US jet.

It said the aircraft was targeted over central Iran and may have gone down in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, citing a police statement.

The statement urged residents of the area to join the hunt for the pilot or pilots, offering a bounty for the capture of any US servicemen.

The incident is the first report of a US fighter jet being downed in Iranian territory since the US and Israel launched their war on the Islamic Republic on February 28.