Middle East crisis live: US and Iranian forces race to recover missing pilot from downed jet; Israel bombards Beirut

Key Points:

• Iranian and American forces are competing to recover crew members from a US F-15 fighter jet shot down inside Iran, marking the first such loss since the war began; one crew member was reportedly rescued, while the other remains missing.
• Iran claimed to have also downed a US A-10 aircraft in the Gulf, with the pilot reportedly rescued; the US government has not commented on the F-15 loss, but President Trump was briefed and stated it would not affect negotiations with Iran.
• Fresh strikes have hit Israel, Iran, Lebanon, and Gulf countries, including large blasts in northern Tehran and Israeli attacks in Beirut, with economic and industrial sites increasingly targeted, raising concerns over global energy supply disruptions.
• Tehran rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire and declined to meet US officials in Islamabad, while violence continues with incidents such as an Israeli attack killing a man in Syria and a blast wounding UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
• The US has proposed a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, a significant increase driven by war costs and global security needs, and warned of potential Iranian-backed attacks on Lebanese universities amid ongoing conflict involving Hezbollah and Israeli forces.