U.S. special operations forces successfully rescued the missing crew member of a fighter jet shot down by Iranian forces.
Major U.S. media outlets including Axios and The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that U.S. special operations forces completed a rescue mission in southwestern Iran and withdrew. The rescued service member was one of the crew aboard the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet shot down over Iran the previous day. Since the aircraft carried a total of two crew members, the rescue means all personnel on board appear to have been safely recovered.
Major international news outlets had reported on Saturday that a U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jet was shot down and crashed in southwestern Iran. Of the two crew members, one ejected and landed on land, while the other remained missing. According to CNN and The Washington Post, the U.S. military launched a rescue operation deploying HH-60G search-and-rescue helicopters and KC-130 refueling aircraft.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dispatched troops to the area where the missing crew member was located in an attempt to block the search effort, but U.S. Air Force fighter jets countered by conducting airstrikes to prevent their advance. Al Jazeera also reported, citing U.S. government sources, that fierce clashes erupted as U.S. forces carried out the rescue operation on Iranian soil.
According to Axios, President Donald Trump and senior staff monitored the rescue operation in real time from the White House Situation Room in Washington, D.C. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, saying, "I am very pleased to inform you that he has been safely returned," adding, "The U.S. military completed one of the most daring search-and-rescue operations in history." Trump continued, "This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the rugged mountains of Iran, being pursued by our enemies who were closing in on him with each passing hour." He stressed, "He was not alone, as the Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his fellow warriors monitored his location around the clock and meticulously planned his rescue." He added, "On my order, the U.S. military sent dozens of aircraft armed with the world's most lethal weapons to bring him home. This is the first time in military records that two American pilots were rescued separately from deep inside enemy territory. He was injured, but he will be fine."
Meanwhile, CNN and other outlets reported that a U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog attack aircraft was also shot down on Saturday near the southern tip of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. According to CNN, the aircraft fell into the sea and the sole pilot on board was rescued. While fighter jets primarily aim to shoot down enemy aircraft and secure air superiority, attack aircraft are designed to strike ground targets such as tanks and infantry as well as naval vessels.
Regarding the incident, Ebrahim Jolfaghari, spokesman for Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, said on state television, "One of the enemy's advanced aircraft was shot down near the southern tip of Qeshm Island," adding, "The aircraft crashed into the Persian Gulf waters between Hengam Island and Qeshm Island." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also told AFP that President Trump had been briefed on the downing of the aircraft.