US special forces entered Iran on Friday night to rescue a crew member of a downed F-15 fighter jet, The Telegraph reported. 

The U.S. government has yet to report on such an operation.

Two crew members ejected in the shoot-down, reports suggested, triggering a race between Iran and the US to find the stranded American airmen.

One was rescued in an operation involving two US military helicopters and low-flying refuelling aircraft, which were targeted by light weaponry.

Iranian broadcasts offered a $60,000 bounty for the capture of the other airman. 

Although Iran claimed it had downed a newer F-35 aircraft, analysts reported that images of the wreckage, including an ejection seat, are consistent with an F-15.