The war in Iran entered its 6th week on Saturday, as the search continues for the missing U.S. service member who bailed out of a U.S. F15-E fighter jet, shot down by Iranian fire on Friday.

A second U.S. Air Force combat plane was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, according to a U.S. official, capping off another week of intensified fighting in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, U.S. and Israeli warplanes continued to pound Iran hitting several targets, including Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone, a major oil industry hub in southwestern Iran, according to Iranian media.

An airstrike near Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility was reported by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. In a X post, the organization said a security guard was killed in the attack, which also damaged a support building.

The Israeli military said it had also conducted overnight airstrikes in Tehran, targeting ballistic and anti-aircraft missile storage facilities.

And in Dubai, authorities said that falling debris from intercepted drones damaged the facade of two buildings, including one belonging to U.S. tech firm Oracle. Iran also hit a water desalination plant and an oil refinery in Kuwait.

This, as dozens of countries — not including the U.S. or Israel — have launched efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which 20% of the world's oil supply passes, and that has been largely blocked by Iran in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes. President Trump said Friday it would take "a little more time" but would be easy to open the strait.

As the 5th week of fighting in Iran came to an end, 365 U.S. service members have been wounded, according to Pentagon data. The death toll remains at 13 service members killed in combat.

In Iran, at least 2,076 people have been killed by US-Israeli attacks since Feb. 28, according to the country's Health Ministry.

Here's more news from the war on Iran on Saturday:

Downed jets | Lebanon | Oracle building

Downed jets call U.S. air dominance into question

An American fighter jet went down in Iran and one crew member has been rescued on Friday, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The official said that a search is underway by U.S. forces to find the second crew member.

Photos posted to Telegram by Iran's Fars news agency showed debris from what appeared to be an American aircraft. One piece of debris in the photos closely resembles the vertical stabilizer of an F-15 Strike Eagle. A separate photo posted by an IRGC-affiliated channel appeared to show an empty F-15 ejection seat. The F-15 is a tactical fighter that typically carries a crew of two, according to the Air Force.

Numerous videos have also appeared showing planes and helicopters that closely resemble American search and rescue (SAR) aircraft flying in southwestern Iran. NPR was able to geolocate one of the videos to a bridge in the province of Khuzestan. The bridge is located in a mountainous area approximately 100 miles inland.

Separately on Friday, a U.S. official told NPR a second combat plane with only one crew member was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz. That crew member has been rescued.

The two events are rare and follow assertions by U.S. officials that the U.S. military had achieved "total air dominance" in the war in Iran.

Israel's invasion of Lebanon continues

Lebanon's government says at least 23 people were killed in Israeli attacks Friday, as Israel steps up airstrikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

On Friday, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the approximately 600,000 residents who have been forced out of southern Lebanon will not be allowed to return until security is guaranteed for Israel's northern residents. Katz did not elaborate on how Israel will determine that. Throughout Lebanon more than one million people have been displaced.

Katz also reiterated threats against Hezbollah militants fighting Israel in Lebanon, saying Israel will act forcefully against rocket fire and that Hezbollah will "pay a heavy price." Israeli officials have outlined plans to occupy a large swath of southern Lebanon as a so-called "security zone." Israeli ground troops have razed residential buildings while airstrikes have hit multiple bridges severing vital routes between southern Lebanon and the north.

Meanwhile, while the U.S. and Israel attack Iran, and Iran retaliates against U.S. allies in the Gulf, Lebanon has not been hit by Iranian fire. But the U.S. Embassy in Beirut says Iran may now target U.S. universities in Lebanon. The American University of Beirut has shifted some classes online. The Embassy also upped its overall warning, telling U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon now.

Oracle building in Dubai targeted

Iran targeted Oracle's multistory office building in Dubai overnight. Authorities say debris fell on the facade of the building. The apparent overnight drone attack occurred when offices would normally be empty of personnel, and no injuries were reported.

Iran says the attack is in response to the attempted assassination this week of former foreign minister, Kamal Kharazi, who was severely wounded, while his wife was killed. Iranian media reported he had been in communication with Pakistani mediators, on possible U.S.-Iran talks to end the war. The U.S. and Israel have been coordinating most attacks on Iran, and it's unknown which carried out the attack on Kharazi.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard named 18 U.S. tech and defense companies as targets of further assassination attempts. The list includes Palantir, META, Google, Microsoft and others.

Aya Batrawy contributed to this report from Dubai, Lauren Frayer from Beirut, Tom Bowman from Washington, D.C., and Miguel Macias from Seville, Spain.

Copyright 2026, NPR

Source link

Brandy Hicks