Iranian tribesmen reportedly fire at US helicopters searching for missing crew member

Iranian tribesmen reportedly opened fire on American helicopters during a search operation for a missing crew member following the downing of a fighter jet over Iran, according to CNN.

The incident occurred in the isolated highlands of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces, as well as the Bakhtiari region, where local groups targeted two Black Hawk helicopters on Saturday, as detailed by Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency.

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Following the confrontation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) praised the tribal groups, describing them as "courageous, valiant and victorious guardians of the borders," as per reports cited by CNN.

This commendation follows the release of footage on Friday allegedly depicting nomadic Bakhtiari tribesmen armed with rifles patrolling the mountainous terrain of Iran's Khuzestan province in search of the American personnel.

In the video, one of the individuals is heard saying, "God willing, he will be found."

To further incentivise the search, Iranian authorities have reportedly announced substantial financial bounties for the successful capture of the missing individual.

Amid these efforts, CNN noted that the IRGC has been promoting a recently developed aerial defence system, which they claim was instrumental in downing the jet on Friday and targeting the Black Hawks.

Also read: Iranian tribesmen reportedly fire at US helicopters searching for missing crew member

Reinforcing this stance, a spokesperson for the Central Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters appeared in a video shared by the IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency to issue a warning regarding the capabilities of this new hardware.

As highlighted by CNN, the official asserted, "We will certainly achieve full control over the skies of our country and will prove the enemy's humiliation to the world more than ever before."

While these claims continue to circulate via Iranian state media, CNN indicated that further verification regarding the reports of US aircraft coming under fire is being sought.

These developments take place as the broader West Asia crisis, which began on 28 February with US-Israel strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliation, continues to engulf the region and affect airspace in the Gulf.