Two U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters conducting a combat search and rescue mission over western Iran were struck by small arms fire on Friday, wounding at least one crew member [1]. The helicopters were searching for the crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down earlier in the day -- the first American manned combat aircraft lost in five weeks of war with Iran [2].

The pilot of the F-15E was recovered. The weapons systems officer remains missing. Iranian police and local personnel fired on the low-flying rescue aircraft with small arms as they operated deep inside Iranian territory [3]. Both helicopters landed safely despite the damage. NBC reported all crew were safe; subsequent reports from multiple OSINT accounts indicated at least one crew member sustained wounds [4].

The War Zone described the operation as the most significant combat search and rescue mission since the Iraq War, noting the deployment of HH-60G Pave Hawks, HC-130J Combat King II tankers, and fighter escorts operating simultaneously over hostile territory [5]. PBS reported the F-15E shootdown and the rescue helicopter incidents as the first time American combat aircraft were downed in the conflict [6].

The SAR operation continues. One American airman is unaccounted for inside Iran. The rescue force is still flying.

-- YOSEF STERN, Jerusalem