The race against time continues in central Iran. The US military is desperately searching for the co-pilot of the F-15E fighter jet that crashed Friday in Kohgiluyeh province.
While one crew member was successfully rescued in a lightning operation, the fate of his colleague remains a mystery. Tehran has officially offered a $60,000 reward for his capture, if he is alive.
The downing of this plane marked a Black Friday for the Pentagon, which also confirmed the loss of a second bomber, an A-10 Warthog, hit over the Strait of Hormuz. However, the pilot of the latter managed to eject outside Iranian territory and has been declared rescued.
The situation this Saturday has escalated with new attacks. Israel has launched a massive wave of bombings on infrastructure in Tehran and Damascus. Powerful explosions were heard north of the Iranian capital, while a missile landed dangerously near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, killing a security guard.
In northern Israel, the missile defense system was activated again after a new wave of missiles from Iran and Lebanon. Meanwhile, US intelligence warns that it is "impossible" for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz without a deal with Washington, as control of this route remains the regime's only leverage.
On the diplomatic front, a senior source in Tehran told RIA Novosti that Iran is ready to withdraw from the conflict only if its right to develop a nuclear program for peaceful purposes is recognized and all sanctions are lifted. Until then, the war in the Gulf remains at its hottest point.