Iran said its forces shot down a US military aircraft during a rescue mission, as fighting across the region continued due to the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression.<\/p>\n
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Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it destroyed two C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters in southern Isfahan province. State media broadcast images of wreckage and described the operation as a response to a US attempt to recover a downed pilot.<\/p>\n
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The claims came hours after US President Donald Trump said an American officer had been rescued.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have rescued the seriously wounded\u2026 crew member\u2026 from deep inside the mountains of Iran,\u201d he wrote on Truth Social, adding the officer was \u201csafe and sound\u201d.<\/p>\n
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US officials told CBS<\/a> that the mission involved hundreds of special forces and dozens of aircraft. Two transport planes used in the operation were later destroyed on the ground to avoid capture, according to US media reports. The BBC<\/a> reported that a deception campaign helped locate the officer and mislead Iranian forces during the extraction.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Iranian officials disputed the US account. A spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters said the rescue effort had failed and described it as a \u201cdesperate\u201d operation, according to Iranian state media.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The rescue followed the downing of an F-15E fighter jet over Iran. Both crew members have now been recovered after a search that lasted more than 48 hours and involved combat in mountainous terrain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n As the operation unfolded, attacks expanded across the region. Iranian drones struck energy infrastructure in Kuwait, causing fires and \u201csignificant material losses\u201d, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said in a statement cited by state media. Two power and water desalination plants were also damaged, affecting electricity supply.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n In Bahrain, authorities reported fires at a petrochemical facility and an oil storage tank after drone strikes. Both incidents were brought under control. In the United Arab Emirates, officials said air defences intercepted missiles and drones, with debris causing fires at an industrial site in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said the attacks were retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on infrastructure inside Iran, including a bridge<\/a> and petrochemical facilities near Tehran.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Israel continued air raids in Lebanon and Iran. Lebanese officials said an overnight strike in Kfar Hatta killed seven people, including a child. The Israeli military said it had struck more than 120 targets in Iran over the past 24 hours, including missile sites and storage facilities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Inside Iran, authorities reported widespread damage to civilian and scientific sites. Science minister Hossein Simaei Saraf said parts of at least 30 universities had been hit since the war began on 28 February<\/a>. He said attacks on academic institutions targeted \u201cresearch and freedom of thought\u201d, speaking at Shahid Beheshti University after a research centre was destroyed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The World Health Organization said more than 20 healthcare facilities had also been damaged in recent strikes, including the Pasteur Institute in Tehran, which was no longer able to deliver services.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Iranian officials said more than 2,000 people had been killed in attacks across the country, including strikes on industrial zones such as Mahshahr, where refineries were damaged.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The conflict has also disrupted global trade. Iran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz as retaliation for strikes. Shipping delays have left vessels waiting on both sides of the channel, while energy prices have risen.<\/p>\n
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