A U.S. service member who had been missing after his fighter jet was shot down over Iran has been rescued by American forces, President Donald Trump announced early Sunday.
“WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the US Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!” Trump wrote.
“At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” he added. “WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!”
The high-risk recovery effort began earlier this week after an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in the region. A second crew member was rescued shortly after the crash and had been receiving medical treatment, according to earlier reports.
In his Sunday statement, Trump also highlighted that earlier rescue, claiming it marked the first time two U.S. pilots had been recovered separately from deep within hostile territory.
The exact location within Iran where the aircraft went down has not been disclosed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president had been monitoring the situation closely. “The President was working in the Oval all day and was receiving constant updates from the Secretary of War,” she said in a statement.
The successful operation followed more than a day of uncertainty regarding the missing airman’s fate. Iranian state media had reportedly offered rewards for his capture and claimed that local tribesmen fired on U.S. helicopters involved in the search.
The downing of the aircraft marked the first instance of a manned U.S. plane being shot down over Iran during the current conflict. Earlier in the war, three F-15 aircraft were mistakenly downed in a friendly fire incident involving Kuwaiti air defenses.
The development comes as officials in the Trump administration have continued to assert that the conflict is largely under control and that the United States maintains air superiority over Iran.
According to the U.S. Air Force, the F-15 is designed to conduct long-range strikes, destroy enemy ground targets, and defend itself against aerial threats. The aircraft’s weapons systems officer, seated in the rear cockpit, is responsible for monitoring systems, identifying threats, and selecting targets.
In a separate incident on Friday, a second U.S. aircraft — an A-10 Thunderbolt II — was hit by Iranian forces, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. The pilot was able to fly the aircraft out of Iranian airspace before ejecting and was later rescued.
