French boats set sail to join Gaza aid flotilla

Lebanese Christians marked Easter Sunday by turning their prayers to the south, where villages remain trapped by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

This year's celebrations were dedicated to "people in the south," said Jenny Yazbek al‑Jamal, as she left mass at a church in Beirut's northern suburb of Jdeideh.

With family living in the region, the 55-year-old said she feels like "one of them". 

It is not only Christian villages suffering in this war added al-Jamal, who leads the parish choir. 

"Muslim villages too... we stand with all the people of the south who were forced to flee their homes."

The church was packed on Sunday, with some worshippers left standing outside. 

Around the altar, placards bearing the names of Christian villages in south Lebanon -- cut off from the rest of the country or under fire -- had been placed.

Hymn singers struggled to raise their voices above the roar of Israeli fighter jets flying low over Beirut and bombing the capital's southern suburbs. 

"Even during our religious holidays, even on Good Friday, jets fly over us and break the sound barrier just to scare us," al-Jamal said.

- 'For peace' -  

"This has to stop," said Marina Awad, another 55-year-old worshipper attending mass with her husband. 

"It's truly very sad to know people had to abandon homes built over a lifetime, unsure if they will ever return."

Border villages are going through a severe crisis, added 65-year-old Dori Ghrayeb. "No food, no water, no bread, no medicine, and no medical care."

The Maronite Patriarchate expressed "deep disappointment" on Sunday over the cancellation for "security reasons" of a humanitarian convoy jointly set up by the Vatican's envoy to Lebanon. 

The convoy had been due to visit the border village of Debl.

Several Christian villages near the frontier -- including Ain Ebel, Rmeich and Debl -- are caught between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

Residents have refused Israeli calls to evacuate as troops advance in southern border areas. They insist this is not their war and say they feel abandoned after Lebanese troops withdrew from several border points. 

The convoy, organised with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and two Christian charities, was meant to deliver 40 tonnes of medicine and basic supplies to residents "cut off from the rest of the country", the Patriarchate said.

The two charities, Caritas‑Lebanon and L'Oeuvre d'Orient condemned the cancellation as a violation of international humanitarian law, particularly as it affected vulnerable civilians trapped in their villages.

"I am for peace; the war must stop so that we can sit at the same table," Ghrayeb said.

dco-mby/at/hme/rh

Defending champion Jessica Pegula clinched back-to-back victories at the WTA Charleston Open clay court tournament on Sunday, routing Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva in straight sets to claim her second title of the year.

Top seed Pegula, who had gone to three sets in every round on her way to Sunday's final, was in no mood to take the scenic route again as she sprinted to a 6-2, 6-2 victory in 1hr 22min against her 89th-ranked opponent.

The Charleston victory follows Pegula's win at Dubai in February and is the 11th title of the 32-year-old New Yorker's career.

After an even start, Pegula seized control in the fifth game of the first set, grabbing the first break point of the match when Starodubtseva pulled a forehand wide.

The Ukrainian saved that point but was quickly in trouble again, giving Pegula another break point with a rushed return which the American converted for a 3-2 lead.

After holding to go 4-2 up, Pegula then went a double-break ahead as more unforced errors from Starodubtseva proved costly.

After comfortably serving out for the set, Pegula was soon on the offensive in the second, breaking Starodubtseva for a third time to 1-0 up.

Starodubtseva finally began to exert some pressure in the next game and twice carved out break points. 

But Pegula slammed the door shut to hold for 2-0 and then rammed home the advantage by breaking again for a 3-0 lead.

Another break left her 5-0 up and serving for the match. Starodubtseva finally showed some resilience to fight off three match points to grab her first break to make it 5-1.

But Pegula made no mistake on her next service game, holding to love to wrap up victory.

rcw/pb

British police said they arrested seven people on Sunday at a protest near an air base in eastern England used by US forces, accusing them of supporting the banned group Palestine Action.

Activists had gathered to protest the alleged use of the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base as a departure point for US aircraft involved in the war in the Middle East.

The Lakenheath Alliance for Peace, which organised the protest, said the seven had been arrested wearing clothing with the message: "We oppose genocide, we support Palestine Action."

Police said the five men and two women had been arrested "on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government banned Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation last year, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group.

In February, a court ruled the ban was "disproportionate" and interfered with the right to free speech.

But the government has appealed, and the ban remains in effect in the meantime.

More than 2,700 people have been arrested and hundreds charged over rallies in support of the group, according to protest organisers Defend Our Juries.

Police said in a statement on the latest arrests that they had a duty to enforce the law "as it currently stands, not as it might be in the future".

Two protesters were also arrested on Saturday at Lakenheath and charged with obstructing public thoroughfares, police said.

The New York Times and BBC have reported that images relayed by Iranian media of the US fighter jet shot down on Friday in Iran match a model typically stationed at Lakenheath.

President Donald Trump has railed against Starmer for what he calls insufficient support for the US campaign in the Middle East, straining the countries' longtime alliance.

The UK has authorised the United States to use British military bases to carry out "defensive" operations against Iran and protect the vital Strait of Hormuz.

mhc/jhb/pdw

"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," based on the wildly popular Nintendo video game, crushed the competition at the North American box office in its opening weekend with $130.9 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The animated sequel from Universal and Illumination Studios tracks the adventures of Mario, Luigi and friends in outer space, where they must save Princess Rosalina. It features the voices of Jack Black, Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and Brie Larson. 

"This is a sensational opening for the second episode in an animation series," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

"Family moviegoing is leading the industry now and these series are a lot of the reason why."

Dropping to second place in its third week in theaters is another space adventure flick, "Project Hail Mary," which earned $30.7 million over the three-day Easter weekend in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations reported.

The Amazon MGM film stars Ryan Gosling as a teacher-turned-astronaut who awakes on a spaceship with a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming phenomenon.

Debuting in third place was "The Drama," a romantic comedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson about a couple unraveling just before their wedding. The A24 film earned $14.4 million.

"Current romantic comedies are about the misery of romance... all played by bigger-than-life stars," said Gross, citing past successes "Anyone but You" with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, and "Ticket to Paradise" with Julia Roberts and George Clooney.

Dropping to fourth place at $5.8 million was Disney/Pixar animated hit "Hoppers," the story of a young animal lover who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife.

Fifth place went to Universal's romance film "Reminders of Him," with $2.2 million. The movie, the latest adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover, stars Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers.

"Moviegoing has momentum right now. The big films are working and audiences like what they're seeing," Gross said.

Rounding out the top ten:

"They Will Kill You" ($1.9 million)

"Dhurandhar: The Revenge" ($1.82 million)

"Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" ($1.8 million)

"Scream 7" ($915,000)

"GOAT" ($800,000)

bur-sst/des

The four astronauts on NASA's Artemis 2 mission began their fifth day journeying to the Moon on Sunday, after already taking in sights of the lunar surface never before seen by human eyes.

As they awoke for day five of the 10-day mission, their Orion spaceship was nearly 215,000 miles (346,000 kilometers) from Earth and 65,000 miles from the Moon, according to NASA's online dashboard.

Former astronaut Charlie Duke, who walked on the Moon in 1972 as part of the Apollo 16 mission, gave the ceremonial wakeup call to the crew.

"Below you on the Moon is a photo of my family. I pray it reminds you that we in America and all of the world are cheering you on. Thanks to you and the whole team on the ground for building on our Apollo legacy with Artemis," said the 90-year-old.

Earlier, in the wee hours of Sunday, the US space agency published an image taken by the Artemis crew, showing a distant Moon with the Orientale basin visible.

"This mission marks the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes," NASA said. The massive crater, which resembles a bullseye, had been photographed before by orbiting cameras.

Astronaut Christina Koch, speaking to Canadian children live from space, said the crew was most excited to see the basin -- sometimes known as the Moon's "Grand Canyon."

"It's very distinctive and no human eyes previously had seen this crater until today, really, when we were privileged enough to see it," Koch said during the question-and-answer session hosted by the Canadian Space Agency.

The next major milestone is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, at which point the astronauts will enter the "lunar sphere of influence," where the Moon's gravity will have stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth's.

If all proceeds smoothly, as the Orion spacecraft whips around the Moon the astronauts -- Americans Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen -- could set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.

- Systems tests -

NASA said the Artemis crew has completed a manual piloting demonstration and reviewed their lunar flyby plan, including reviewing the surface features they must analyze and photograph during their time circling the Moon.

"We're focusing very much on the ecosystem, the life support system of the spacecraft," NASA chief Jared Isaacman said Sunday in a televised interview with CNN.

"This is the first time astronauts have ever flown on this spacecraft before. That's what we're most interested in getting data from," he added.

On the schedule for day five, according to NASA, is testing of the astronauts' "survival" suits.

The bright orange suits are worn during takeoff and re-entry, but also emergency situations, such as cabin depressurization.

The crew "will conduct a full sequence of suit operations, including putting on and pressurizing their suits, performing leak checks, simulating seat entry, and assessing mobility and their ability to eat and drink," NASA said.

While the four astronauts will not touch down on the lunar surface, they are expected to break the record for the farthest distance from Earth during their pass around the Moon.

Over the next day, "they will be on the far side of the Moon, they will eclipse that record, and we're going to learn an awful lot about the spacecraft," said Isaacman.

The information will be "pretty paramount to set up for subsequent missions like Artemis 3 in 2027 and, of course, the lunar landing itself on Artemis 4 in 2028."

bur-des/msp

US President Donald Trump did not take a break from his polarizing rhetoric on Easter Sunday, delivering an expletive-laden attack on Iran that sparked criticism on Capitol Hill and beyond.

"Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!" the president wrote just after 8:00 am, renewing his threat to unleash heavy bombing on Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran refused to unblock the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"Praise be to Allah," he added, apparently sardonically, after ending another threatening message a day earlier with "Glory be to GOD!"

While the Republican president is well known for his straight talk, the post on his Truth Social network raised eyebrows, especially on a Christian holiday.

"Happy Easter, America. As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X.

"He's threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is who he is, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better."

For Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who opposes the war in Iran, Trump's attitude was "completely, utterly unhinged."

Murphy added: "If I were in Trump's Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment," referring to the clause that provides for a transfer of power if the president is unable to serve.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, also a Democrat, noted it was not the first time that the 79-year-old Trump had used stark language since the US and Israel launched their assault on the Islamic republic in late February.

"Bombing them back to the Stone Age, cursing them," Kaine said on NBC's "Meet the Press" news program.

"This is all embarrassing and juvenile, and it's people trying to act like they're puffed up and tough, when what we really see from the administration in this war is the absence of a plan, the absence of a clear rationale."

- 'Stop worshipping the president' -

Criticism was not limited to Trump's Democratic opponents.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former congresswoman who was once a staunch Trump backer but now a fervent critic, slammed his message, especially on Easter Sunday.

"Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump's madness," Greene said in a post on X.

"Our President is not a Christian and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians," said Greene, who opposes US military interventions abroad.

Some however praised Trump's fiery rhetoric. 

Conservative firebrand commentator Laura Loomer, who speaks regularly with Trump and has described herself as an Islamophobe, had nothing but praise.

"This is what I voted for. Bomb jihadis back to the Stone Age where their mentality permanently lives," Loomer wrote on X.

"Trump said he's going to bomb their infrastructure in Iran, and then he said 'Praise be to Allah'. On Easter. Amazing. Just amazing."

rle/sst/des

The OPEC+ oil cartel agreed on Sunday to again increase oil production quotas, while warning that repairing energy facilities, such as those damaged in the Middle East war, is "costly and takes a long time".

For the second month in a row, OPEC+ countries -- which include key oil producers Russia and Saudi Arabia, as well as several Gulf countries that have been targets of Iranian airstrikes -- agreed to raise quotas by 206,000 barrels per day (bpd) from May.

But OPEC+ warned that damage to energy infrastructure increases oil market volatility, potentially hitting global supplies well into the future.

Its statement also stressed "the critical importance of safeguarding international maritime routes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy".

The text did not mention the Iran war directly, but the conflict -- which has roiled global energy markets and caused prices to surge -- clearly weighed on the decision.

The United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, and Tehran has retaliated by striking targets across the region.

In addition to hitting key energy facilities in a number of neighbouring countries, Iran has virtually halted ship traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz by threatening to attack tankers passing without permission.

That has badly restricted exports from the Gulf region, and raised questions about whether oil can reach global markets even if OPEC+ members in the region manage to ramp up production.

Before the war, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the Strait.

Ukraine has also been striking Russian oil industry facilities as it seeks to fight back against Moscow's ongoing invasion.

Last month, the eight-strong V8 (Voluntary Eight) group in the OPEC+ cartel also raised production quotas by 206,000 bpd.

On Sunday, the V8 said in a statement that "any actions undermining energy supply security, whether through attacks on infrastructure or disruption of international maritime routes, increase market volatility" and make it more difficult for OPEC+ to manage global prices.

The eight countries -- Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman -- praised members that managed to find alternate exports routes to deliver oil, "which have contributed to reducing market volatility".

bst/jhb

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Trump threatens 'hell' -

US President Donald Trump threatened "hell" if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, vowing in an expletive-laden social media post to strike its bridges and power plants.

Trump later said he believed there was a "good chance" of making a deal with Iran on Monday, ahead of his deadline for Tehran to reopen the crucial strait. If not, he told Fox News: "I'm considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil."

- US rescue mission -

Trump said a missing airman from a downed US F-15 fighter jet had been found in a "daring" and "miraculous" rescue, but Iran's military said the American operation had been "completely foiled".

Trump, in a social media post, said "dozens" of US aircraft took part in the rescue operation and that the crew member was "seriously wounded".

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Iranian military's central command, said two C-130 military transport planes and two helicopters had been destroyed during the operation.

- 'Deep' op -

US news outlets reported that American commandos had deployed deep into Iranian territory to rescue the downed airman.

The Iranian military said the US operation had used an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province.

Two planes meant to transport the airman and his rescuers to safety were stuck in Iran and had to be destroyed to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands, The New York Times and CBS reported.

- OPEC+ hikes quotas -

The OPEC+ oil cartel agreed to again increase oil production quotas, by 206,000 barrels per day from May.

It warned that repairing energy facilities damaged in recent attacks is costly and "takes a long time", potentially hitting global oil supplies well into the future.

It also stressed the "critical importance" of safeguarding maritime routes to ensure the "uninterrupted flow of energy".

- Iran airport hit -

A US-Israeli airstrike hit the Qasem Soleimani international airport in southwestern Iran, state media reported.

- Israel targets Beirut -

Israeli strikes on south Beirut and its suburbs killed at least four people and wounded 39, Lebanese officials said.

Earlier, Israel's military said it had begun striking the capital to take out "infrastructure sites" of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

- Pope urges peace -

Pope Leo XIV urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to "choose peace", in his first Easter blessing as pontiff.

"We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people," he told a crowd in St Peter's Square.

- Holy Sepulchre restrictions -

Israeli security forces imposed restrictions on access to the Holy Sepulchre in annexed east Jerusalem, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.

In the usually lively alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City, silence reigned on Easter Sunday, the holiday overshadowed by the war.

- Iran hits infrastructure -

Damage was reported at civilian facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, after Iran attacked critical energy and other infrastructure across the Gulf.

Iranian drones caused "severe" damage to Kuwaiti oil and petrochemical facilities, the state petroleum company said.

Officials in Abu Dhabi said they were battling fires caused by falling debris at a petrochemical facility.

- Iran, Oman talk Hormuz -

Oman and Iran held talks on easing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Omani state news agency reported.

"The experts from both sides put forward a number of visions and proposals regarding it," it said.

- Israeli strike kills family -

An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed seven people including a family of six, a source from the Lebanese civil defence told AFP.

The family had been waiting for a relative to pick them up in Kfar Hatta, a town around 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the border that Israel had ordered to be evacuated.

burs-jhb/jj

(The Center Square) – Some Republicans have recently introduced bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate aimed at addressing the federal deficit and ultimately reducing the federal debt, though opinions vary on whether Congress will make meaningful progress on the issue anytime soon.

At over $39 trillion, the debt today stands at roughly 124% of America’s GDP and is projected to grow faster than the GDP “for the foreseeable future,” according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. A rising national debt can cause higher interest rates and contribute to inflation. 

u.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives just days into the new year on Jan. 6 recommending that Congress commit to lowering the annual federal deficit (how much the government overspends) to 3% of the GDP by 2030. Right now, it sits at around 6%. The resolution was cosponsored by a number of Democrats and Republicans, and analysts from a broad range of think tanks and advocacy groups spanning the political spectrum support a 3% deficit-to-GDP target.

“The House is right to rally around a 3% deficit target,” said William Glass, policy director for the Millennial Debt Foundation, in a statement. “It isn’t a moonshot; it’s the minimum viable level of protection a modern economy needs to avoid drifting into a debt crisis.”

Comments from Alex Kilander, a policy analyst for the Progressive Policy Institute's Center for Funding America’s Future, echoed those made by Glass, calling the target a “commonsense goal.”

“[It] would begin to right the nation’s fiscal ship, reduce borrowing costs for households, and strengthen economic opportunity for all Americans,” Kilander said.

But resolutions, if passed, often simply express the opinion or intent of their chambers and are non-binding. They can lead to further action – like the introduction of actual law – or simply remain a symbolic gesture. 

Zach Moller, senior director of the economic program for Third Way, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said resolutions can draw attention to an issue but in and of themselves, they don’t have the ability to hold lawmakers accountable.

“It’s better than a press release, but it is not impactful as some sort of forcing mechanism or some sort of legislation that would actually establish that,” Moller told The Center Square. 

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., recently introduced a bipartisan companion resolution in the Senate, and the House Committee on the Budget, chaired by Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, held a hearing on the subject in March.

Arrington spoke of a more generous goal of achieving a 3% deficit-to-GDP target in the next 10 years, urging Democrats to accept the proposition as a reasonable starting point.

“Let’s agree together… as proud lawmakers of the greatest country in the world, on this framework. Then we can debate the strategies and the inputs and what dials should move in what ways,” Arrington said. 

Moller thinks it’s possible that the House resolution could pass by the end of the year, but passing enforceable legislation is “highly unlikely.” Such legislation has yet to be introduced, and Republicans and Democrats have such vastly different ideas of how to achieve fiscal responsibility that a Republican-sponsored bill wouldn’t likely receive the bipartisan support it needs to pass the Senate. 

Moller is more confident that Congress can make progress toward shared goals like a smaller deficit-to-GDP target if the upcoming midterm elections result in a divided government.

“[If] we have a divided government, I don’t know how the conversations around fiscal responsibility will evolve… I have greater hope for something like a fiscal commission to be set up in divided government than I do in one-party control,” Moller said.

Brandon Arnold, vice president of the National Taxpayers Union, doesn’t share Moller’s optimism. Arnold thinks, like Republicans say, that cutting government spending is critical to restoring the country’s fiscal health and would have to be part of any solution dealing with the debt. And he thinks that the political will doesn’t exist in Congress right now.

Kurt Couchman, senior fellow in fiscal policy for Americans for Prosperity, said he thinks Congress will adopt deficit targets, but the timing is hard to predict.

“The question is whether Congress will adopt them before or after a crisis,” Couchman told The Center Square. “Congress should enact budget targets and fix the process soon, but the timeline for achieving meaningful change is unknowable. The best we can do is to lay the groundwork so solutions are ready when windows of opportunity open.”

US President Donald Trump announced the dramatic rescue Sunday of a downed airman whose fighter jet crashed over Iran last week, but Iran says the mission was "foiled". 

The facts remain shrouded in the fog of war, while social media was immediately flooded with misleading or fake images. 

Here is what we know based on public statements and media reports: 

- Who is the airman ? -

Almost nothing is known about his identity, but he was named as a "crew member officer" by US President Donald Trump, meaning he was the weapons system operator aboard the advanced F-15E fighter jet which was shot down last Friday.

The pilot was said by Trump to have been rescued by special forces in daylight on Friday after the crash in the rugged Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province of southwest Iran.

US aviators undergo so-called SERE training in the event they have to eject over hostile territory -- Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape.

They wear a combat vest which contains a radio/GPS-coded beacon to transmit their position, while they also carry water, food, first-aid material and a pistol in order to survive.

The airman was wounded after his ejection but could still walk, according to news outlet Axios, which cited a US official.

Trump initially wrote on Sunday that he "will be fine" while later adding he was "seriously wounded."

- How did the rescue mission unfold? -

Iranian authorities had immediately urged local people and tribesmen to join security forces in searching for the airman last Friday, realising the potential political and military value of capturing him alive.

That had sparked a race over the weekend in mountainous terrain, with images posted on social media of US aircraft and helicopters flying low over Iran as part of search-and-rescue operations.

The airman managed to keep himself hidden and at one point hiked up a 2,100-metre (7,000-foot) ridgeline, according to The New York Times. 

The US intelligence agency the CIA helping to locate him and launched a "deception campaign" aimed at convincing Iranian authorities that he had already been found, the newspaper added. 

Axios cited an official who said the airman had been "inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for (the) CIA's capabilities." 

The extraction operation launched Sunday involved "dozens of aircraft", according to Trump, and hundreds of special operations troops, including Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos, US media reports said.

The Navy commandos, best-known for taking part in the 2011 operation to kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, were tasked with extracting the airman, while US attack aircraft provided cover, the New York Times added, citing unnamed officials.

The airman was rescued as Iranian forces converged on the spot, with US forces firing their weapons to keep them at bay, reports say. 

Trump claimed no American lives were lost.

- What does Iran say? -

Iran's military claims the US operation was "completely foiled", but has not given a full account of events. 

Military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari told state media that US forces had used an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province, which lies to the northwest of the area where the airman ejected. 

He said the aircraft had been taking part in "a deception and escape mission... under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft". 

Iranian state media broadcast images of the charred wreckage of what appears to be a plane in a desert area, while officials claimed that two C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters had been destroyed. 

In the footage, two charred propellers and engines can be clearly seen. 

The Wall Street Journal and other US media, citing unnamed officials, reported that American forces had blown up two C-130s after they became stuck for unknown reasons.

The governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province told Mehr news agency that five people had been killed and seven wounded in the Kuh-e Siah area in an attack.

But the governor, Iraj Kazemijou, said reports that US forces had landed there were "completely false and have no validity".

Iranian media likened the rescue operation to the US military's disastrous Operation Eagle Claw in 1980, an attempt to rescue more than 50 Americans at the US embassy in Tehran. 

A US A-10 ground attack aircraft was also reportedly downed on Friday, with US media saying the pilot managed to eject and was rescued in nearby Kuwait.

In his message on Sunday, Trump also referred to another operation inside Iran to rescue "another brave pilot ... which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation."

burs-adp/ser