How US pulled off ‘one of the most daring’ rescue of F-15 officer deep inside Iran

The United States has rescued the missing weapons officer of the US F-15E fighter jet which was shot down over southern Iran on Friday, US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday.

In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said that the US military “pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations” in its history and the officer, identified only as a Colonel, is “now SAFE and SOUND!”

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The rescue mission, carried out deep inside the Iranian territory amid the ongoing conflict, invovled locating the downed aircraft crew member and extract him safely under highly risky conditions.

How the US pulled off the rescue?

According to US media reports, the rescue operation lasted around 48 hours and involved high precision with zero margin for errors.

Contradicting Trump’s claim of complete air superiority in the region, Iran on Friday shot down a US F-15E fighter jet but its crew members – a pilot and a weapons officer – managed to eject.

US forces dispatched a rescue team involving a C-130 aircraft and two helicopters. The rescue mission evacuated the pilot within hours but the weapons officer still remained inside the enemy territory.

Iran announced monetary rewards for capturing the US airman, with the Iranian military also launching an operation to locate him.

After ejecting from the fighter jet, the colonel landed somewhere in mountainous terrain in an area where the US claims the Islamic Republic faced massive protests before the war.

He had a handgun, a beacon, a secure communication device and basic survival ration supplies. He reportedly communicated his location to the US rescue team through the secure device and didn’t use the beacon as the Iranian military could have also tracked him.

The colonel moved away from the crash site and used his SERE training to remain hidden from the Iranian military, according to US media reports.

He reportedly moved to elevated ground, and took cover in a mountain crevice, making it difficult for both Iranian and the US forces to locate him.

He reportedly hiked up a ridgeline and the US forces finally located him and extracted him safely but not without resistance from Iran.

According to the reports, Iran and US forces exchanged fire during the rescue and the US even destroyed two of its aircraft.

US used abandoned Iranian airport in Isfahan, destroyed two of its own aircraft

According to an Iranian military official, who claimed the mission was a “failure”, said the US military used an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan to carry out the rescue operation.

“The so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled,” said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the military’s central command, Khatam Al-Anbiya.

A Wall Street Journal report claimed that two US Special Operations aircraft were blown up on the ground during the rescue of the colonel.

The aircraft, identified as MC-130J, became stranded, prompting the US rescue mission to destroy them. While the report didn’t elaborate further, it said their destruction became “necessary” as they feared the planes could fall into Iranian military hands.

Israel provided intelligence

According to Israeli officials, Israel provided intelligence assistance to the United States during the rescue mission. The country also reportedly halted its attacks in the area during the rescue.

Some reports also claimed that the CIA was also involved in the operation. The American intelligence agency reportedly spread false information among locals that the US airman had already been rescued even when the operation was underway.