As the US races to find the missing US fighter jet crew member in Iran, specialist US combat search and rescue units will be scouring the area in Blackhawk helicopters, according to a former US Air Force Pararescue Jumpers commander.

Speaking to the BBC's US partner, CBS News, the former commander says if the rescue target is in an area inaccessible to a helicopter, squadrons from AC-130 gunships will jump from that aircraft and resume rescue operations on foot.

Once on the ground, pararescue jumpers aim to contact the missing crew member, render medical aid if necessary, evade or hold off the enemy and get to a location where they can be rescued.

Calling their jobs "harrowing and massively dangerous" is an understatement, says the commander, adding that these pararescuers are known as "the Swiss Army knives of the Air Force".

Read more: How elite US teams tackle combat rescue missions

A total of 365 US service members have been wounded in action since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to figures released by the Pentagon.

The number of injuries by armed forces branch are:

• Army - 247
• Navy - 63
• Marines - 19
• Air Force - 36

The death toll remains at 13, according to the figures.

Israel's military says it is conducting strikes on Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

The Israel Defense Forces says the strikes are targeting "Hezbollah infrastructure sites" in the city.

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Reporting from New York

Experts are telling the BBC that the ongoing search for the missing crew member of the downed US fighter jet is extremely time-sensitive, as Iran races to locate the same personnel as US combat search and rescue crews.

"It's the most dangerous military mission that I know of," says James Jeffrey, a military strategist and top US diplomat who has served as special representative for Syria and special envoy to the international military intervention against Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq.

Such missions are often conducted by helicopters, with refuelling aircraft in support and other military aircraft on hand to conduct strikes and patrol the area. Verified video that emerged from Iran on Friday appears to show such a mission under way over Khuzestan province.

"These are Air Force special operations people who are trained almost to the level of Delta Force and Navy SEAL Team Six, but they also have medical capabilities," Jeffrey tells the BBC. "They will not give up until they can find a pilot if they think there's any chance."

When a jet is shot down over enemy territory, the pilot and crew from that aircraft are also highly trained for such a situation.

"Their number one priority is to stay alive and to avoid capture," Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and the director of military analysis at think tank Defense Priorities, tells the BBC.

"And so they're trained to - assuming that they're physically capable, and not so injured that they can't move - to try to get away from the ejection site as quickly as possible, and to conceal themselves so that they are safe."

They're also trained in survival techniques so they can go without food or water or find resources from the local terrain for as long as possible, Kavanagh adds.

Video appears to show US search and rescue operation in southern Iranpublished at 01:24 BST

01:24 BST

Earlier BBC Verify confirmed a video showing what appeared to be a US plane accompanied by two helicopters flying over southern Iran as a search and rescue operation was carried out for the crew of the downed F-15 fighter jet.

We have confirmed the video was filmed in Khuzestan province, near a bridge over the Karun river, at this location: 31.591393, 50.275430.

The video has been checked for recency and for signs of AI manipulation.

Reports from the US, quoting unnamed officials, say the mission led to the rescue of one of the crew members but there's still an ongoing search for the second crew member.

BBC Verify will continue to check footage said to show this operation.

Image source, EPA

There have been reports that the Israeli military is holding off striking southern Iran as the search for the missing US fighter jet crew member continues.

Elsewhere though, heavy explosions in east Tehran have been heard by two sources, our BBC Persian senior reporter says.

Three others have told the BBC that they have heard fighter jets in the sky. Iranian outlets have said that air defences have been activated in the city.

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed another wave of strikes in Tehran.

In the past 24 hours, the IDF said it had carried out "more than 70 strikes in western and central Iran targeting ballistic missile launch sites and unmanned aerial vehicles". In a separate update, it also said it had started striking parts of Beirut.

It added it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

One crew member has been rescued from a US F-15E fighter jet that was downed in southern Iran,US media reports.

What has happened to the second crew member on the jet remains unknown, but CBS News, the BBC's US partner, reports that the search is ongoing, citing two officials.

It says the rescue crew included two helicopters and an A-10 Warthog plane. It adds one helicopter carrying the rescued pilot from the F-15 jet was hit by small arms fire, injuring crew members on board - but it landed safely.

CBS reports that the A-10 Warthog was hit, with the pilot ejecting over the Gulf and subsequently rescued. Iran's army claims to have shot down an A-10 Warthog, according to state media reports - it's not clear if this is the same plane that CBS was reporting on.

Verified footage appears to show a US plane and two helicopters searching for the fighter jet's crew in the Khuzestan province.

There have also been reports that the Israeli military has held off strikes in the area, while the search operation is being undertaken.

US President Donald Trump told US network NBC "we're in war", and the attack on the fighter jet will not affect any negotiations with Iran.

Image source, STATE MEDIA

We have moved our live coverage here, and will continue to bring you the latest developments from the war in the Middle East, as the conflict nears the end of its fifth week.

Here's a recap of what has been happening:

• Iran is claiming to have shot down two US warplanes – one F-15 flying over the southwest of the country and a second plane involved in a mission to rescue the F-15's crew.
• Two crew members were in the F-15 jet, with one member rescued and the other airman still missing, the BBC's news partner CBS reports. The pilot of the second downed plane, an A-10 Warthog, ejected safely over the Gulf and was rescued, CBS reports.
• Iran is offering rewards to anyone who captures the missing crew member alive, Iranian state TV reports, and US crews were reportedly met with gunfire during search-and-rescue efforts.

• The apparent incident comes despite US President Donald Trump saying on Wednesday that Iran's drone and missile capabilities had been "decimated".
• Asked by the BBC about the first fighter jet that was reportedly shot down, the White House provided a statement that said only that "the president has been briefed".
• Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims Israeli strikes have destroyed 70% of Iran's steel production capacity - and says Israel and the US will continue to "crush" the country.