Khaberni - American media reports and official statements continued to reveal details of what was described as "one of the most daring and complex rescue operations" in the history of US special operations, which resulted in the recovery of an American armament systems officer from deep inside Iranian territory, two days after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down.
The pilot was the second crew member of the aircraft that Iran announced its air defenses had shot down, while Washington announced the rescue of the first on the very day it was shot down, last Friday.
A Race Against Time Behind "Enemy Lines"
Axios reported that US special forces (commandos) managed to rescue the second officer in the crew of the fighter jet that Tehran shot down over southwestern Iran.
According to sources, the officer, who holds the rank of colonel, was wounded by jumping with a parachute but managed to hide in a rugged mountainous area for more than 24 hours, managing to evade pursuit by units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that were racing against time to reach him.
According to the US press, the officer relied on secure and highly encrypted communication devices to coordinate with the commando teams from his location in the Iranian mountains, where sources confirmed that the aircraft crew made an immediate contact through advanced distress systems after parachuting, enabling the CIA and the Pentagon to precisely locate them despite ongoing disguising efforts and pursuit by the Revolutionary Guard.
The "New York Times" reported that the operation carried out Saturday night involved hundreds of special operations forces and dozens of fighter jets and helicopters, in addition to advanced intelligence, cyber, and space capabilities to accurately pinpoint the officer's location.
Aerial Encounter and Support Strikes
Details of the field encounter revealed that US Air Force aircraft conducted intensive strikes on Iranian convoys and forces attempting to approach the officer's hiding area.
Meanwhile, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that HH-60 helicopters conducted low-altitude flights in the mountainous terrain amid ground fire from Iran, confirming that a Black Hawk helicopter was hit by Iranian defenses, but it managed to complete its mission and return safely.
Wall Street Journal also reported from sources that US forces used drones to attack Iranians who approached the pilot before rescuing him.
Trump: "Historic Operation"
Former President Donald Trump described the operation on his platform "Truth Social" as "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in American history," affirming that the "brave warrior" officer is now safe and receiving treatment.
Trump and senior members of his team monitored the operation's details moment by moment from the White House situation room, at a time when the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that it had shot down a US drone south of Isfahan that was participating in the search efforts.
This operation raises questions about previous Pentagon statements regarding "complete control" over Iranian airspace; this marks the first time that an American manned aircraft has been shot down by hostile fire since the start of the recent military campaign on February 28.
American Losses
The "New York Times" reported that the operation was not without material losses, as US forces had to blow up two transport aircraft that malfunctioned during the operation at a temporary base inside Iran, to ensure their technologies did not fall into the hands of Iranian forces, before all special forces exited Iranian airspace.
The Revolutionary Guard announced last night that it shot down an American drone south of Isfahan which was said to have been assisting in searching for the American pilot.
Reuters reported last Friday that two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search operation were hit by Iranian fire but managed to exit Iranian airspace.
In a separate incident, officials reported that an A-10 Warthog fighter plane was hit, causing it to crash over Kuwait and the pilot to eject, though the nature of injuries among the crew members has not yet been clarified.
