Crew Rescued After Us Attack Helicopter Goes Down Near Strait Of Hormuz

ISTANBUL, June 9 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Crew from a US Army Apache attack helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday were rescued, according to multiple reports, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

The cause of the incident was not immediately known, and it remained unclear whether the helicopter had been hit by Iranian fire, suffered a mechanical malfunction, or encountered another issue, The New York Times reported citing sources.

Early Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said “the pilots are fine, nobody injured, we are going to issue a report tomorrow, but the pilots are fine.”

The incident followed several days of fluctuating tensions in the region, during which Israel and Iran traded military strikes before pulling back, underscoring the fragility of the cease-fire.

The US president said the negotiations with Iran are ongoing and the two sides are "very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal" as he prepared to return to the White House after attending an NBA finals game in New York.

The US military has deployed Apaches, along with armed MQ-9 Reaper drones and F/A-18 and F-35 strike aircraft, in an aggressive Central Command campaign to counter Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial shipping.

Since the war began on Feb. 28, Iran has downed about 30 Reaper drones, and several US fighter jets have been lost to hostile and friendly fire. However, this would be the first Apache lost in the conflict.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU