A U.S. fighter jet, an F-15E Strike Eagle, reportedly was shot down over southern Iran, according to reports, and the Islamic regime posted a “bounty” for the capture of the pilots.

A report at the Daily Mail said the state-controlled media in Iran was “incentivizing civilians” to hunt for the Americans.

“An Iranian state-run news agency aired footage on Friday of a female anchor calling on civilians to help capture pilots of an American F-15E Strike Eagle that the regime shot down over Southern Iran. Civilians were promised were promised a ‘valuable reward’ if they successfully bring in the pilots,” the report said.

A report at Reuters said a search and rescue operation already was under way because of the downed jet.

It was the first time since the start of the war with Iran and the U.S. jet has been taken down.

Debris purportedly from the jet was publicized on Iranian media outlets.

The report said viewers also were told to “shoot” U.S. planes flying in the region.

The Daily Mail said, “The regime has previously made a series of false claims about shooting down piloted US planes. However, Friday was the first time state media has called on the public to look for the suspected American pilots.”

🚨 BREAKING: For the first time since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, Iran has SHOT DOWN an American fighter jet

USAF Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) teams are currently looking for TWO F-15 pilots in Iran.

Their statuses are unknown. Pray for these pilots 🙏🏻🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9sXW5Ks4iB

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 3, 2026

“What we know at the moment is that the Americans and Central Command have said, so far, that all of their planes are accounted for, and Iranian military authorities often make claims like this.”@mchancecnn reports from Doha as Iran claims photos show downed US fighter jet pic.twitter.com/rK3RCKsQlJ

— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) April 3, 2026

BREAKING: Iran shot down a fighter jet on Friday, Iranian state media reported, in what would be the first time that Tehran downed an American jet since the war broke out five weeks ago. A search and rescue effort is underway, U.S. officials say. pic.twitter.com/AqjNWcSnmo

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 3, 2026

The New York Post said Iran claimed it hit the jet in a statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

That group claimed “newly developed and advanced air defenses” struck the jet.

American and Israeli fighter pilots already had carried out an estimated 20,000 airstrikes on Iranian targets.

Earlier, a U.S. F-35A was damaged over Iran on March 19 during a combat mission, “and 16 MQ-9 drones have been shot down. Three American F-15 fighter jets were also shot down over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident,” the report said.

The Post noted, “Iran has regularly made fraudulent claims of downing American aircraft throughout the month-long war; however, Friday was the first time that state media urged the public to hunt a downed pilot.”