By Elsie Kamsiyochi
In an operation already being hailed across Washington as one of the most audacious in modern U.S. military history, American special operations forces rescued a downed airman deep inside Iranian territory after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down, U.S. officials confirmed on Sunday.
The dramatic mission closed a tense chapter for President Donald Trump as he weighs whether to escalate the six-week-old war against Iran.
According to U.S. officials, the rescued officer—identified by Trump as a colonel—served as the weapons-systems officer aboard the two-seat jet that Iran claimed to have downed on Friday. His recovery marked the second successful extraction of the plane’s crew after the pilot was rescued earlier in the week.
Trump, in an unusually triumphant statement, declared that “over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. history.” He added that although the airman sustained injuries, “he will be just fine.”
A Race Against Iran
Iranian authorities had urged civilians to join the hunt for the surviving airman, hoping to capture him and secure a powerful bargaining tool as tensions rise ahead of Trump’s promised escalation on Iran’s energy infrastructure. Analysts warned that if Iran had succeeded in capturing the officer, it could have created a politically explosive hostage crisis, potentially turning already skeptical U.S. public opinion even further against the conflict.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, claimed that several American aircraft were damaged or destroyed during the rescue attempts, though U.S. officials have not confirmed those losses.
A Treacherous Extraction
The airman was discovered in rugged, mountainous terrain inside Iran, where U.S. special operations teams maneuvered through hostile territory under threat of intense Iranian fire. Once located, he was moved overland to a transport aircraft waiting at a makeshift landing site inside Iran, an extraordinary decision highlighting the urgency and complexity of the mission.
A U.S. official told Reuters that one of the American aircraft involved in the extraction had to be intentionally destroyed after suffering a malfunction, ensuring it did not fall into Iranian hands.
Despite the high-risk environment, Trump emphasized that “not a SINGLE American” was killed or wounded during the twin rescue operations, claiming the missions demonstrated overwhelming U.S. air dominance.
Multiple Aircraft Hit Amid Heavy Fire
U.S. officials confirmed that the broader search-and-rescue effort involving dozens of aircraft met fierce Iranian resistance. At least two Black Hawk helicopters came under Iranian fire but managed to escape Iranian airspace.
In a separate incident, an A-10 Warthog flying support operations was struck and crashed in Kuwait, forcing its pilot to eject. The extent of the pilot’s injuries remains unclear.
These engagements have raised questions about U.S. claims of Iranian military degradation. While Trump has repeatedly asserted that Iran’s military is crumbling, U.S. intelligence indicates the country still retains significant missile and drone capabilities, with only an estimated one-third of its missile arsenal confirmed destroyed.
A War Spreading Across the Region
The Iran war, now more than a month old, has expanded across multiple theaters in the Middle East. U.S. Central Command reports that 13 American service members have been killed and more than 300 wounded since the conflict began. None, however, have been captured by Iran—a fact U.S. officials emphasize as evidence of operational resilience.
The conflict has already claimed thousands of lives across the region and sent global energy markets into turmoil, driving oil prices sharply upward and stoking inflation fears worldwide. With Trump signaling renewed strikes on Iranian infrastructure in the coming days, global markets are bracing for further volatility.
As the United States and Israel continue joint operations, and with Iran vowing retaliation, the rescue mission—extraordinary as it was—may prove only a single episode in a conflict that shows no signs of winding down.
Original article
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