US fighter jet shot down over Iran, US official says

WASHINGTON - A U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran and a search and rescue operation was underway for any survivors, a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday, in the first such known incident since the U.S. launched its war with Iran on February 28.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details.

The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command did not respond to requests for comment.

The prospect of U.S. pilots being alive and on the run inside Iran during an ongoing conflict greatly raises the stakes for the United States in the conflict. Iranian officials called on civilians to be on the lookout for survivors.

The governor of Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said whomever captured or killed the crew "would be specially commended," according to the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA.

-Phil Stewart; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Andrea Ricci/Reuters