The US military has been praised by President Trump and American officials after it successfully managed to rescue two aviators whose fighter jets were shot down by Iran on Friday.
On April 4, Iranian fire hit a US F-15E Strike Eagle, resulting in the aircraft crashing in southern Iran after it had been flying over the Isfahan province. Luckily, the two aviators managed to eject themselves safely from the aircraft, but found themselves landing behind enemy lines.
Within hours of the incident, US forces had already secured one man, the pilot, after they used tracking devices to locate his position and organize a rescue mission. However, the second crew member was not so easy to extract and was missing for nearly two days, left with only a handgun for protection.
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Due to him landing in hostile enemy territory, he was forced to hide in a mountain crevice as Tehran called for Iranians to help capture him.
Luckily, a second rescue operation, involving the CIA, subterfuge, and specialist aircraft, was finally able to bring him to safety on Sunday (April 5).
The fighter jet was downed on Friday over southern Iran (Photo by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The crash left him wounded but still able to walk, where officials were able to direct him. Using a communication device, he reached officials and authenticated his identity.
The mission has since been described as almost cinematic after rescuers managed to bring both men to safety, despite numerous setbacks, including two Black Hawk helicopters being attacked, both fortunately managing to escape Iranian airspace just in time.
How was the second crew member rescued in Iran?
During efforts to rescue the fighter jet’s weapons specialist, US commandos snuck undetected into Iran under darkness, scaling a 2,100-meter ridge to pull him to safety and transport him to a secret meeting position on Sunday.
However, shortly after making progress, two C-130 transport aircrafts carrying around 100 special operations forces suffered mechanical failures, making them unable to take off, an anonymous US official said, as per ABC News.
The conflict between the US and Iran continues (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Elite commanders then made the risky decision to order additional aircraft to fly into Iran and remove the group in waves over the course of several intense hours.
“If there was a ‘holy s**t’ moment, that was it,” said the official, who has been highly praised for carrying off the mission.
All special operations officers were saved, and both C-130 transport aircrafts destroyed, along with four helicopters, in order to avoid leaving any sensitive equipment behind enemy lines.
An operation carried out by the US military, Navy SEALs and the CIA
According to US media reports, the task, which took place on Saturday night (April 4), utilized the efforts of hundreds of special operations troops and Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos, who were able to extract the second airman as US aircraft provided cover.
Meanwhile, the CIA used a deception campaign, planting information that suggested it had already found the missing airman, even before the operation took place, according to a senior Trump administration official.
The US military has been praised by Donald Trump (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
The US military supported the mission by jamming electronics and bombing surrounding roads.
Both men onboard had undergone Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training to help keep them safe if they were ever forced to land in hostile territory.
Combat vests equipped with a radio/GPS-coded beacon could also transmit their locations, while communication devices helped them liaise with rescuers.
As the secret mission took place, Iranian authorities told locals to join the search for the crew member, with Iranian news outlets offering rewards for those who could hand over the ‘enemy pilot’.
Many have praised the successful mission, with Donald Trump confirming its success on Sunday after sharing a post on Truth Social that read: “WE GOT HIM!”
Sadly, the search for the missing pilots was not without sacrifice – The conflict resulted in the deaths of 12 US military servicemen and 300 wounded service members.Featured Image Credit: Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance/Handout via Getty Images
Updated 18:08 3 Apr 2026 GMT+1Published 17:59 3 Apr 2026 GMT+1
Iran shoots down US fighter jet as one pilot rescued while the other remains missing
Iran has downed a US fighter jet in the southern region of the Middle Eastern country as the fallout from the joint US-Israel attack on the country in February continues.
CBS News first reported that the American F-15 fighter jet had been shot down, with Iran’s state media claiming it was Iranian forces that downed the plane.
A search effort was immediately launched by the US, with images posted on social media showing a plane fuelling and two helicopters flying low over the Khuzestan Province.
This is a common procedure when it comes to search and rescue missions, the BBC reports.
US officials told CBS News that one crew member from the flight has been rescued following the attack, while the search continues for a second crew member who was aboard the fighter jet.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation in the Middle East.
Iranian forces reportedly downed the plane (X/@PressTV)
It’s the first known case of a US fighter jet being shot down over Iran since the war began in late February.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, has seemingly mocked the US on X following latest developments.
“After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?” he wrote on social media.