US special forces carried out a daring rescue mission to retrieve an airman stranded 200 miles behind enemy lines after Iran shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle on Friday. The president confirmed on Sunday that dozens of military aircraft were involved in the operation, which saw the weapons-system officer extracted from the treacherous mountains of Iran under the cover of darkness.
The rescue teams scaled a 2,100-metre ridge to reach the injured airman, who had sprained his ankle during ejection and was hiding in a crevice. Upon reaching the ridge, the airman radioed “God is good”, a message initially met with suspicion in Washington for fear of an Iranian trap. He later authenticated himself, ensuring the rescue was not compromised.
The pilot of the two-seat jet had ejected safely on Friday and was rescued under fire, with one helicopter hit by small arms fire but escaping. President Trump noted that the first rescue was kept quiet to avoid alerting the enemy to the second airman’s presence. The CIA provided intelligence support, alerting the Pentagon and White House to the airman’s location, while Israel also offered assistance.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya command claimed to have used a new air-defence system to down the jet, as well as three drones and two cruise missiles. Trump threatened further strikes on Iranian infrastructure, warning of sending the country “back to the stone ages” if a deal on the Strait of Hormuz is not reached. No casualties were reported from the rescue mission, described as the first in US history to extract two pilots separately from deep enemy territory.
