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A second US Air Force combat plane has been shot down over the Persian Gulf region. Officials said its only pilot was quickly rescued. Iran's air defence system targeted an "enemy" A-10 aircraft in southern waters near the Hormuz Strait, the nation's state media said on Friday. The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, more commonly known as a "Warthog", attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz, with officials providing scant details about the crash, including how and where it happened. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say President Donald Trump has told reporters this evening the downing of a US jet over Iran won't impact negotiations with Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President had been briefed, without confirming any details of the incident. Iranian officials called on civilians to be on the lookout for survivors and have flooded social media with images that purport to show wreckage from the aircraft. Two US officials said the aircraft was an F-15E fighter jet, which has two seats: one for a pilot and the second for a weapons systems officer. It was unclear which of the two was recovered, and the U.S. official who confirmed the recovery did not offer any details on how it took place. The prospect of a US pilot being alive and on the run inside Iran raises the stakes for Washington in a conflict that, according to opinion polls, has struggled to win popular support among Americans. It also presents a challenge to the US military, which faces the twin goals of trying to save the life of an American behind enemy lines while safeguarding anyone involved in perilous rescue missions. The incident comes over a week after US President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office that Iran's military had been defeated to the point that "we literally have planes flying over Tehran and other parts of their country. They can't do a thing about it." US air crews undergo training for what to do if they go down behind enemy lines, called Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training, or SERE, but few airmen are fluent in Persian and staying undetected while seeking rescue will be a challenge. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Iran dissident confident Islamic Republic is 'taking last breath' as he bravely speaks to GB News Keir Starmer urged to answer plea of brave Iranian dissident as Tories 'stand ready' to support emergency action Yvette Cooper refuses to say if US is an ally to Britain just days after Donald Trump warned 'we won't be there for you' More to follow... Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
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