The war in the Gulf, despite Donald Trump’s rhetoric of victory, remains very complicated for the American armed forces. The most significant news of the day comes from the Iranian front: a US fighter has been shot down by Tehran’s anti-aircraft fire, for the first time since the start of hostilities. The maxi-search operation led to the rescue of one of the pilots of the crashed aircraft, an F-15.
But the fate of the second aviator is unknown, amid unconfirmed rumors in the regime media that he was taken hostage and that the rescue helicopter was also hit. And in the evening, two American officials reported to the New York Times that a second American jet, an A-10 Warthog, crashed in the Gulf: the pilot was rescued unharmed, while the Iranian army claimed to have intercepted and hit the jet with its air defense over the Strait of Hormuz.
And in the meantime, on another hot front, the Lebanese one, yet another accident has occurred in a few days involving Unifil: three Indonesian peacekeepers were injured following an explosion in their position.
Regarding the shooting down of the F-15, images of debris from a plane were released by Iranian state media in the early hours of the morning, which initially spoke of a US F-35 hit by a new air defense system over central Iran, with a pilot probably dead or otherwise missing, so much so that state TV promised a reward for anyone who provided useful information to track him down.
A few hours later US officials confirmed, unofficially, that an F-15E had been shot down and that the Pentagon was working to find the crew of two pilots. Subsequent footage showed a C-130 Hercules and a Pavehawk helicopter flying low and, at one point, refueling together, while the Israelis suspended raids to facilitate rescue procedures. Trump received a briefing. The operation led to the recovery of one pilot who received medical treatment, but the fate of the second airman remains unknown.
Only rumors came from Iran. The NourNews agency, considered close to the Pasdaran, cited unofficial sources according to which “the Revolutionary Guards commandos managed to identify and capture the pilot”.
However, NourNews itself clarified that it could not confirm. In recent weeks three American F-15s had been shot down by mistake by Kuwaiti defenses, without casualties, and other aircraft had been damaged on the ground during an attack on the base in Saudi Arabia. Until now, however, no fighter jets had been destroyed in flight in Iran. Furthermore, no American soldier was killed or taken prisoner on Iranian soil, thirteen died in various countries in the region.
This development signals that after more than a month of war, Tehran’s arsenal remains threatening: around half of its missile launchers remain intact, as do thousands of assault drones. A military capability that allows the ayatollah regime to be “fully capable of sowing absolute chaos throughout the region”, starting from the Strait of Hormuz, an intelligence source in Washington has found.
And the shooting down of the first American jet represents a success to be claimed for the theocracy, renewing the challenge to Trump: «After having defeated Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant war without strategy has been downgraded from “regime change” to “can anyone find our pilots?”, the mocking comment of the president of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Meanwhile, diplomacy remains at a standstill: according to the semi-official Iranian Fars agency, Tehran has rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire starting April 4 via one of their friendly countries.
And the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran has officially notified mediators of its unavailability to meet with US officials in Islamabad in the coming days. In addition to the Gulf, the Lebanese front also remains critical, with the IDF committed to expanding the buffer zone in an anti-Hezbollah function. Once again it was Unifil who paid the price, with three Indonesian peacekeepers injured, two seriously.
Three compatriots had been killed in recent days, in an escalation which also involved the Italian contingent on more than one occasion, in the base in Shama, with damage to the infrastructure but without consequences for the military.
On the diplomatic front, nothing new has officially emerged, but the underground work of the mediators continues, with the involvement of powers not hostile to Tehran. Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyp Erdogan spoke on the phone, calling for an “immediate ceasefire”. Moscow and Ankara maintain contacts with all parties.