Italian media: U.S. military deploys "Black Hawk" and "Hercules," but the rescue mission fails

What might be the U.S. side’s claimed motivation for rescuing another person?

The U.S. military deployed aircraft in an attempt to rescue a U.S. fighter jet pilot

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency citing Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, on the 3rd, the U.S. military dispatched a “Black Hawk” helicopter and a C－130 “Hercules” transport aircraft in an attempt to rescue a U.S. fighter jet pilot that had been shot down by Iran, but it was unsuccessful.

The report did not mention the location of the incident, but citing some sources, it said that the U.S. pilot ejected and landed within Iran’s territory, and may already have been captured by the Iranian side. The report also quoted sources as saying that, considering the fact that this could damage the U.S. side’s reputation, the U.S. side might subsequently claim that another person had been rescued as the pilot.

Also, according to a report by The New York Times on the 3rd, citing U.S. officials, a U.S. fighter jet was shot down inside Iran, and the whereabouts of the crew are unknown. U.S. officials are urgently launching search-and-rescue efforts, trying to find survivors before Iran does.

According to @CCTV International News’ earlier report, today (April 3), after a “U.S. advanced fighter jet” was shot down in Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, a “bounty was issued for the capture of the U.S. pilot alive” locally.

Nour News Agency of Iran released photos and reported that it was believed that, near the crash site, “a U.S. refueling aircraft and armed drones appeared and carried out rescue operations.”