A US fighter jet crew member who went missing for two days after Iran downed the aircraft has been successfully rescued in what Donald Trump described as one of the most daring operations in American military history.
Trump said the airman, a colonel serving as a weapons systems officer, sustained injuries but is expected to recover. Announcing the development on Truth Social, he said the rescue mission involved extensive planning and execution by the US military.
According to him, dozens of aircraft equipped with advanced weaponry were deployed to locate and extract the officer, who was stranded behind enemy lines in mountainous terrain in Iran. He added that top military leadership closely tracked the officer’s position and coordinated the operation round the clock.
The incident follows Iran’s downing of a US F-15E Strike Eagle on Friday. The aircraft had two crew members on board; while one was rescued soon after the crash, the other remained missing until the latest operation. Iranian media had reported that the jet was hit over central Iran, possibly in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.
Trump said the second rescue was not immediately disclosed to avoid compromising the mission. He claimed that both crew members were recovered in separate operations deep inside hostile territory without any American casualties, calling it an unprecedented achievement.
In a separate incident, Iran also shot down a US A-10 Warthog near Kuwait, though its pilot ejected safely and was later rescued.
The recent developments mark the first confirmed combat loss of a US crewed aircraft in the ongoing conflict with Iran. The last such incident dates back to the 2003 Iraq War.
Reports also said hundreds of US special operations personnel were involved in the rescue effort, while Iranian forces, along with local groups, had launched a parallel search and even announced a monetary reward for information on the missing airman.
