Pentagon and CENTCOM silent as reports of fighter jet and helicopter incidents in Iranian airspace pile up

Early Friday, reports emerged that a U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran, appearing to mark the first such incident during the war, prompting a search and rescue mission for the crew members. One has been found alive, officials told multiple outlets. Separately, two helicopters were reportedly fired at as they sought to locate the fighter jet’s crew. Another U.S. aircraft, an A-10 Thunderbolt, known as a Warthog, was also reportedly struck by Iranian fire as it searched for the missing crew member. The pilot entered Kuwaiti airspace, ejected safely, and the aircraft crashed, an official told NBC News.

Despite the frenzied reports throughout the day, CENTCOM has said nothing. CENTCOM has been quick to push back on reports of fake news peddled by the Iranian regime during the six-week conflict with Iran, so their silence was all the more notable, although multiple unnamed sources spoke to various media outlets