This mission may mark the first deployment of American troops on Iranian territory during the war; reports of gunfire on the ground and destruction of the aircraft have not yet been fully independently confirmed
Crew members of a United States Air Force F-15E fighter jet that had been missing in Iran since Friday were rescued by an American team, according to the President Donald Trump in the upload on Truth Social. According to the American leader, the action was “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in the history of the United States”.
The operation, which reportedly involved American troops on Iranian territory, was first reported by media outlets such as Axios, Fox News and Al Jazeera. Until now, some of the details published have not received independent confirmation.
According to Arabic network Al Jazeera, citing an unnamed US government official, the weapons systems officer was successfully evacuated after a “fierce firefight”. Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported that the military personnel were injured during the ejection, but managed to survive and escape on foot for more than a day while evading capture by Iranian forces.
Iranian news agency Tasnimwhich is close to the Revolutionary Guards, had previously reported airstrikes in the area where the missing military personnel were thought to be, further increasing tensions around the operation.
According to Fox News, both of you F-15E managed to eject after the plane was hit in southwest Iran on Friday night. The pilot was reported to have been rescued first, while the second crew member remained hidden on the ground until he was found.
Reports from American sources indicate that the military personnel used SERE training, the English acronym for survival, evasion, resistance and escape, to avoid capture. He reportedly left the crash site and sent out a distress signal, which likely aided in the tracking process.
The rescue operation reportedly involved special units from various branches of the US Armed Forces, in a mission considered complex because it took place behind enemy lines. According to Fox News, there was no indication of casualties among the American military involved in the action.
Axios also reported that the CIA may have been involved in the preparations for the mission through deception operations. According to an unnamed American official, the intelligence agency deliberately spread information that the officer had been found and would be expelled from the country by land, while the actual search was continuing in parallel with intelligence support. When the exact location was determined, the information was reportedly passed to the Pentagon, the US Armed Forces and the White House, which then led Trump to authorize an immediate rescue mission.
On the other hand, The New York Times reported that the critical moment occurred just before the operation ended. According to the newspaper, two US Air Force transport planes were reportedly stuck in a remote field in Iran. Because of this, three other aircraft were reportedly used to evacuate all American military personnel, while the immobilized aircraft was destroyed on site to prevent it from falling into Iranian hands.
Fox News also said that Iranian security forces may have been killed or injured during the special operation. However, until now, there has been no official confirmation from Tehran.
As a result, this mission is now seen as one of the most sensitive episodes in the current war, both because of the alleged deployment of American troops into Iranian territory and the risk of immediate 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 and image: The White House – X @WhiteHouse | US Central Command – X @CENTCOM. This content is created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
