“The pilot is fine,” US President Donald Trump said when asked about reports that a US military helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz.
The New York Times reported that a U.S. Army Apache helicopter gunship crashed near the Channel on Monday and two crew members had to be rescued.
“The pilot is fine, no one was hurt,” President Trump told reporters in New York after watching Monday night’s NBA Finals game.
He did not provide further information about what happened, but said a report would be released “tomorrow.” The New York Times reported that it was unclear what caused the helicopter to crash.
The apparent loss of the aircraft came after Iran and Israel exchanged their first direct attacks in months late Sunday and fighting in the region escalated over the weekend.
CNN has reached out to U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, for comment.
It’s unclear what the Apache was doing at the time, but it had previously been used to attack Iranian small boats as part of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
According to the Central Command website, Apache helicopters are primarily used for precision attack, close air support, and aerial reconnaissance.
If confirmed, it would be the first Apache loss since the conflict with Iran began.
According to a Congressional Research Service report released in May, the U.S. military has lost dozens of aircraft since the war with Iran began in late February, including at least five fighter jets, seven Stratotanker tankers, search and rescue helicopters, and more than 20 unmanned aircraft.
It appears to be aircraft debris left after being rescued by US forces.
Images and footage released by Iranian state media and located by CNN appear to show the smoldering remains of multiple planes in the southern province of Isfahan after President Donald Trump announced that the US military had rescued the crew from the downed fighter jet.
In early April, the U.S. military had to launch a dangerous operation to rescue an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot who was shot down inside Iran. The military had to blow up two of its own special operations planes on the ground in Iran during a secret mission that involved hundreds of U.S. military and intelligence personnel, including special operations forces.
In March, a KC-135 Stratotanker tanker crashed in western Iraq, killing all six on board. And just days earlier, three U.S. F-15 jets were accidentally shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, with all their crews safely evacuated.
A number of aircraft were damaged in Iranian attacks on US air bases in Saudi Arabia, and some were damaged by Iranian artillery fire mid-flight.
