A U.S. soldier is presumed missing in Iranian territory after the downing of a fighter jet, an incident that U.S. President Donald Trump says will not affect negotiations between the United States and Iran. Meanwhile, mediators have informed The Wall Street Journal that efforts to reach a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran are at a 'standstill.' Two U.S. aircraft—Iran shot down a U.S. F-15 fighter jet in its territory for the first time since the war in the Middle East began on February 28.—One of the two crew members was rescued, but the other is presumed missing in Iranian territory, triggering a frantic search.—Almost simultaneously with the downing of the F-15, a second military aircraft, an A-10 Warthog, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. The sole crew member of that aircraft was rescued alive. Silence from the White House—Neither the Pentagon nor the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) has provided further information about the incidents.—Trump has also remained silent and denied that the downing of the U.S. fighter jet by Iranian forces would affect negotiations with Tehran, as he stated in an interview with NBC News. Ceasefire at a 'standstill'—Efforts to achieve a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, led by Pakistan, are at a 'standstill,' mediators told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.—According to their explanation, Iran is unwilling to meet with U.S. officials in Islamabad in the coming days, and the demands from the United States are 'unacceptable.' Hezbollah against the Israeli occupation—The political wing of the Shiite group Hezbollah warned on Friday that Israel's plan to occupy southern Lebanon poses a 'serious' threat to the country and called on the state and other Lebanese actors to mobilize to help contain it.—The call came after Israel confirmed this week its intentions to control the Lebanese strip from the de facto border between the two countries to the Litani River, which represents 8% of Lebanon's territory. Iranian attacks—One person was injured in an Iranian ballistic missile attack that cluster munitions in the center of Israel, reported early Saturday.—The victim is a 79-year-old man who was hit 'by the impact of debris carried by the blast wave of a missile with cluster munitions in Kiryat Ata, near Haifa,' reported the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service. Increase in Defense spending—Trump proposed on Friday to increase defense spending for the next fiscal year to a record $1.5 trillion, in exchange for cuts to social programs, as stated in the budget proposal presented by the White House.—The proposal has faced opposition even from lawmakers in Trump's own party. Republican Senator John Curtis stated that he will not approve additional funds for the military operation in Iran without the Legislature evaluating a declaration of war. U.S. casualties—The Pentagon revealed details of the 'Fury' operation against Iran, which has so far resulted in 365 injured and 13 deceased U.S. military personnel, not including the crew members of the downed aircraft.
