It’s not just the Iranian military. Police, civilians and rural villagers are all shooting at US rescue aircraft. Viral videos show Iranian police firing automatic rifles at low-flying HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters. The Mehr news agency published footage of what it called “brave locals firing at US helicopters.” State TV ran an on-screen message: “Shoot them if you see them.”

Hundreds of civilians drove their own cars to the crash zone in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, a mountainous rural region spanning 15,500 sq km. Iran’s armed forces asked the public “not to let anyone mistreat the pilot,” but the 10 billion toman bounty (roughly $60,000) for a live capture triggered a civilian manhunt.

One Pave Hawk was hit and seen trailing black smoke crossing into Iraq. Both Black Hawks on the mission were struck by Iranian fire, injuring their crews. Both returned to base. An A-10C Thunderbolt II escorting the operation was also hit, its pilot ejecting over Kuwait.

Iran’s Tasnim agency claimed “US attempts to rescue the pilot have failed.” Parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf mocked: “This brilliant no-strategy war went from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots?’