Introduction
The United States has successfully extracted two aviators from inside Iran after their fighter jet was shot down. The operation, described by President Donald Trump as almost cinematic, involved a daytime rescue of one crew member, a covert deception campaign, and a second rescue that came under enemy fire.
The Downing of the F-15E Strike Eagle
An F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down by Iranian forces, leaving its two crew members stranded behind enemy lines in southwestern Iran. The pilot was rescued first in an operation that Trump later said took seven hours in broad daylight. The second crew member – a weapons systems officer – remained missing, with neither the U.S. nor Iran knowing his exact location.
A Wounded Aviator Hides in the Mountains
Despite being injured, the second service member climbed approximately 7,000 feet (2,133 metres) and hid in a mountain crevice, according to Senator Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican who was briefed on the operation. Meanwhile, an anchor on an Iranian state‑affiliated television channel urged residents in the mountainous region to hand over any “enemy pilot” to the police, promising a reward. Trump later stated that the aviator was being “hunted down” by enemies who were “getting closer and closer by the hour.”
CIA Deception to Buy Time
To disrupt Iran’s search efforts, the CIA launched a disinformation campaign. According to a senior Trump administration official who spoke anonymously, the agency spread word inside the Islamic Republic that the U.S. had already located the missing crew member and was moving him overland to get him out of the country. The confusion gave the CIA time to pinpoint the aviator’s actual hiding place. Once his coordinates were confirmed, the intelligence agency passed them to the Pentagon and the White House, and Trump ordered a rescue mission.
The Rescue Under Fire
Trump said he directed dozens of heavily armed aircraft to retrieve the second crew member, whom he described as “seriously wounded” but expected to recover. Iranian state media reported airstrikes in southwestern Iran on Saturday that killed at least three people and wounded others – in the same area where the missing American was believed to be.
The rescue mission faced significant obstacles. Iran’s joint military command claimed it struck two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters involved in the operation. A person familiar with the situation said the helicopters managed to reach safe airspace, though it remains unclear whether they landed or if any crew members were injured.
Additionally, a regional intelligence official briefed on the mission said that due to a technical malfunction, the U.S. military had to bring in extra aircraft to complete the rescue. Two transport planes that could not be recovered were blown up by American forces. Iran’s state television aired footage on Sunday showing what it claimed were wreckage parts of a U.S. aircraft shot down by Iranian forces, along with a photo of thick black smoke. The broadcaster asserted that Iran had downed a transport plane and two helicopters participating in the rescue.
Trump, however, declared on social media: “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.”
A Second U.S. Jet Also Went Down
Trump did not mention that a second American military aircraft was downed on the same day as the F-15E. Iranian state media reported on Friday that a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being struck by Iranian defense forces. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a second Air Force combat aircraft went down in the Middle East on Friday. Another person familiar with the situation said an additional U.S. pilot was rescued, but security concerns prevented further details from being released.