U.S. officials confirm 2 rescue helicopters struck by Iranian fire after F-15 jet downed: media
U.S. officials confirmed Friday that two U.S. rescue helicopters involved in the search and rescue efforts for an F-15 fighter jet downed earlier on Friday were struck by Iranian fire, according to U.S. media reports.
Crew members aboard the helicopters were unharmed, said an NBC News report, citing a U.S. official.
Meanwhile, a second Air Force combat plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, and the lone pilot was safely rescued, reported The New York Times, citing two U.S. officials.
Iran shoots down U.S. A-10 attack plane near Strait of Hormuz -- army
The Iranian army confirmed that its air defense systems shot down a U.S. A-10 "Warthog" attack plane on Friday over Iran's southern waters near the Strait of Hormuz, with the aircraft crashing into the Persian Gulf.
The announcement, published on the army's website, came shortly after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said that it had downed a U.S. F-35 fighter jet in central Iranian airspace earlier in the day.
Later Friday, Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter was also hit by a projectile in Iranian airspace while searching for the pilot of the downed U.S. fighter jet.
White House seeks 1.5 trillion USD in defense spending in 2027 budget proposal
The White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday released its 2027 budget proposal, featuring defense spending rising to 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars, alongside major cuts to domestic programs.
The budget plan builds upon the "historic 1 trillion dollars topline" provided for the national defense by requesting 1.5 trillion dollars for 2027, a 44-percent increase, wrote White House budget director Russell Vought.
Meanwhile, the budget plan "builds on the president's vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the federal government," proposing a 10-percent cut compared to 2026 non-defense levels, according to the document published on the White House official website.
WHO calls for urgent support for health systems in countries affected by Mideast conflict
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday in a social media post that urgent support is needed for the health systems of five countries affected by the conflict in the Middle East - Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
Health systems in the affected countries are "under severe strain" following weeks of intensified violence, Tedros said, adding that the WHO has launched a 30.3 million U.S. dollar flash appeal to support its health response to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, with a focus on the five countries.
The appeal, covering the period from March to August 2026, aims to sustain essential health services and trauma care, strengthen disease surveillance and early warning systems, and enhance mass casualty management, as well as national readiness for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies, Tedros noted.■
