The mission may have been the first deployment of U.S. soldiers into Iranian territory during the war. Meanwhile, reports of ground combat and aircraft destruction have not yet been fully independently confirmed.
The crew of a US Air Force F-15E fighter jet who had been missing in Iran since Friday has been rescued by a US military team. This is President Donald TrumpTruth SocialThis was revealed in a post. President Trump said the operation was “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in American history.”
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The operation reportedly involved US soldiers operating in Iranian territory, and was first reported by media outlets including Axios, Fox News and Al Jazeera. At this time, some of the details released have not yet been independently corroborated.
Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, citing unnamed US officials, reported that the weapons systems officer was rescued after a “heavy firefight.” Axios reporter Barak Ravid reports that the soldier was injured during the ejection seat ejection, but survived and fled on foot for more than a day, evading capture by Iranian forces.
Iranian news agency close to the Iranian Revolutionary GuardsTasnimhad already reported that there had been an airstrike in the area where the missing military personnel were believed to have been, further escalating tensions over the operation.
According to Fox News,F-15EBoth crew members successfully evacuated after the plane was hit by bullets in southwestern Iran on Friday night. The pilot was rescued first, and the second crew member reportedly hid on the ground until he was discovered.
U.S. sources said the soldier was using SERE training to avoid detention. SERE is an abbreviation for survival, evasion, resistance and escape. He is said to have left the crash site and sent a distress signal, which may have helped locate him.
The rescue operation is believed to have involved special forces from multiple branches of the U.S. military and was extremely complex as it was carried out behind enemy lines. According to Fox News, there is no indication that any U.S. military personnel involved in the operation were killed.
Axios also reported that the CIA may have been involved in preparing the mission through deception operations. An anonymous U.S. official said intelligence agencies were deliberately spreading information that the officer had been found and was fleeing the country by land, while the actual search continued in parallel with intelligence support. Once the exact location was determined, the information was relayed to the Pentagon, the U.S. military and the White House, with President Trump reportedly authorizing an immediate rescue mission.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that there was a critical moment just before the end of the operation. The newspaper said two US Air Force transport planes were stranded in a field in a remote part of Iran. As a result, three other aircraft were used to evacuate all U.S. military personnel, and the stuck planes were reportedly destroyed on the spot to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.
Fox News also reported that there may have been casualties among Iranian security forces during the special operation. However, there has been no official confirmation from Tehran so far.
As a result, this mission is considered one of the most sensitive aspects of the current war. The reason for this is that US troops are said to have entered Iranian territory and that there is a risk of direct military escalation between Washington and Tehran.
BIG: After evacuating the second crew member of the downed F-15E, the U.S. had to destroy two HC-130J Combat King II rescue aircraft and two helicopters that, for unknown reasons, were unable to leave Iran.
The aircraft were blown up on the ground to prevent them from falling… pic.twitter.com/McytCnmnq5
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 5, 2026
Source/Image: The White House – X @WhiteHouse | US Central Command – X @CENTCOM. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by editorial staff.
