Trump Personally Directed High-Stakes Rescue Mission for Missing American Airman in Iran
President Donald Trump personally directed a daring US military operation to locate and extract both crew members after Iranian forces shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet deep inside enemy territory Thursday night.
The Weapons Systems Officer ejected with the pilot, used his SERE training to evade capture, hiked away from the wreckage, hid on an elevated ridge, and activated an emergency beacon. One crew member was quickly rescued. Fox News now confirms the second crew member — the Weapons Systems Officer — has also been rescued and extracted from behind enemy lines. He and the entire rescue team are safely out of Iran.
US Special Operations forces, including Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs) and layered elite units from multiple branches, executed a complex, high-risk combat search-and-rescue mission. They not only found the airman but held off Iranian IRGC and Basij forces hunting him. Ground fighting erupted, leaving injured and dead Iranian personnel, but no Americans were killed.
An A-10 Warthog providing cover for the rescue teams took fire, crashed in Kuwait, and its pilot safely ejected and was recovered. Two rescue helicopters were hit by enemy fire, injuring crew members on board, yet they still made it out of Iran.
The F-15E was destroyed on impact, and sensitive equipment on the lost aircraft was accounted for as part of the intense operation.
Sources:
Fox News, CBS News, BBC, AP News, Newsweek, Military Times.