The United States successfully conducted a daring rescue of two aviators after their fighter jet was shot down by Iran. The mission involved extracting the pilot from enemy territory and undertaking a complex rescue of the second crew member hiding in the mountains, as Tehran urged citizens to capture him.
The CIA initiated a disinformation campaign to mislead Iran’s government prior to locating the crew member, spreading false information within the country that he had already been found.
Despite President Donald Trump and other officials describing the mission as near-cinematic, the rescuers encountered significant challenges. Two Black Hawk helicopters came under fire, and technical issues with two transport planes forced the U.S. military to destroy them.
“This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” Trump wrote early Sunday on his Truth Social platform. “WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!”
US officials stayed silent as the operation played out
In social media posts, Trump indicated that the operation required complete silence to succeed, while he and top officials closely monitored the airman’s whereabouts.
For over 24 hours after the crash, the White House and Pentagon withheld details about the downed F-15E Strike Eagle, especially concerning the first crew member’s daylight rescue, which Trump later described as a seven-hour operation over Iran.
The U.S. and Iranian governments were both in a race to locate the second crew member, a weapons systems officer, whose whereabouts were unknown to either side.
The CIA circulated rumors that the U.S. had located the officer and was moving him by land to exit Iran, according to a senior Trump administration official who requested anonymity.
This misinformation allowed the CIA to find the service member hiding in a mountain crevice. The Pentagon and White House received his coordinates, prompting Trump to order a rescue.
Iran urged the public to look for the ‘enemy pilot’
Meanwhile, Iranian state television encouraged locals in the mountainous region where the jet crashed to capture any “enemy pilot” and promised a reward for doing so.
Trump stated that the aviator was being pursued by enemies closing in on him, while U.S. forces continuously tracked his location.
At the appropriate time, Trump commanded the military to deploy heavily armed aircraft for the rescue of the crew member, who he mentioned was “seriously wounded” but expected to recover.
Iranian state media reported that airstrikes in southwestern Iran on Saturday resulted in at least three fatalities and several injuries in the area where the missing American crew member was believed to be located.
American rescuers face obstacles with aircraft during the operation
The rescue mission encountered significant difficulties behind enemy lines. Iran’s joint military command reported striking two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters involved in the operation.
A source familiar with the situation said the helicopters reached safe airspace, though it was unclear if they landed or if any crew were injured. The source requested anonymity.
Subsequently, technical issues compelled the U.S. military to bring in additional aircraft to complete the second crew member’s rescue. Due to these complications, they had to destroy two transport planes left behind, according to a regional intelligence officer who spoke anonymously.
Iran’s state television broadcasted footage purportedly showing parts of a U.S. aircraft downed by Iranian forces, alongside images of thick black smoke. The broadcaster claimed Iran shot down a transport plane and two helicopters involved in the rescue.
Iran’s joint military command alleged the destroyed aircraft included two C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters in Isfahan, the province where the rescue took place.
“The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies,” Trump remarked on social media.
A second US military jet also was shot down
Trump did not address that another military jet went down on the same day as the F-15E.
Iranian state media reported that a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed on Friday after being hit by Iran’s defense forces.
A U.S. official, seeking anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, confirmed that another U.S. Air Force combat aircraft went down in the Middle East on Friday.
An additional U.S. pilot was rescued, but details were scarce due to security concerns, according to another source familiar with the incident.
Neither source provided further details, including whether it was indeed the A-10.
Kim and Lee reported from Washington, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Konstantin Toropin in Washington, Farnoush Amiri in New York, and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
