U.S. Military Confirms Iran Shot Down Helicopter in Strait of Hormuz

<p>President Trump stated that the U.S. military has determined that Iran shot down a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter that crashed on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz. He pledged a military response to the incident.</p><p><strong>Incident Details:</strong> The helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. As of Tuesday morning, U.S. officials were investigating whether Iranian fire caused the crash. Trump later attributed the incident to Iran.</p><ul><li>Trump announced on Truth Social, "I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."</li><li>The shootdown occurred following exchanges of strikes between Israel and Iran, which took place after a ceasefire was brokered by Trump.</li></ul><p><strong>Rescue Operation:</strong> Both crew members were rescued around 7:30 PM ET, approximately two hours after the helicopter went down off the coast of Oman, according to U.S. Central Command. They are reported to be in stable condition.</p><ul><li>A source familiar with the incident indicated that there was a lengthy search operation before the crew was located.</li><li>A U.S. Navy drone boat, part of the 5th Fleet's Task Force 59, successfully executed the rescue, marking the first use of maritime drones for such a mission.</li></ul><p><em>This is a breaking news story and will be updated.</em></p>