US rescues downed F-15 pilot from Iranian territory

The United States military has rescued a crew member from a downed F-15 fighter jet who had been missing inside Iranian territory since Friday, when Iran shot down the aircraft in the southwest of the country.

President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue in a post on Truth Social on Sunday morning. "Over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History," he wrote, adding that the airman, described as a "highly respected colonel", had sustained injuries but "will be just fine."

The F-15 carried two crew members. The first had already been recovered alive following an earlier search-and-rescue operation. The second remained unaccounted for until Sunday. Iranian officials had offered a reward for members of the public to find the missing American, according to official state media.

US correspondent James Matthews described it as "a race against time, and a race against the Iranians, to get to their man," with reports, yet to be confirmed, that the pilot had hiked away from the wreckage to avoid being found by locals who would have seen where the jet came down.

Trump said he had directed the military to send "dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the world" to retrieve the airman, and confirmed there were no American casualties in the operation.

Iran's armed forces, however, claimed to have shot down three US aircraft during the mission: a C-130 refuelling plane and two Blackhawk helicopters.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Defence Forces reported hitting more than 120 targets in central and western Iran in the past 24 hours, including ballistic missile sites, drone production facilities and air defence positions.

Separately, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency called on world leaders to stop Trump before he turns the Gulf region "into a ball of fire."

In the UAE, fires broke out at a petrochemicals plant in Ruwais after falling debris from intercepted projectiles caused damage, halting production. No injuries were reported. And in Italy, jet fuel rationing came into effect at four airports, with priority given to air ambulances, state flights and journeys of more than three hours.

Trump had earlier posted a fresh threat to unleash "all hell" if Iran did not meet a Monday deadline to end the war.