According to Axios, three unnamed U.S. officials revealed that the U.S. military has rescued a pilot who was missing after Iran shot down a U.S. fighter jet. The report quoted an official as saying that the operation to rescue the F-15E fighter pilot was carried out by a "special commando team with heavy air cover." Axios News Network reported that all troops involved in the rescue have withdrawn from Iran.
A fighter jet with two people on board was shot down on Friday and the other crew member had been rescued, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said he spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive information involved. Iranian media reported that Tehran has offered a reward of approximately US$66,000 to any citizen who can capture the missing pilot alive.
The downing of a U.S. plane and the days-long search for the missing crew have shattered the aura of invincibility Trump sought to project. In this way, he is trying to avoid the growing political risks of the war with Iran that he launched with Israel five weeks ago.
Trump has repeatedly claimed absolute control of Iran's airspace and used exaggerated rhetoric to suggest that the United States has achieved victory and Iran's military capabilities have been completely destroyed to appease markets and the American public who strongly oppose the war. Analysts pointed out that the downing of the fighter jet cast doubt on Trump's assertion that he has absolute control over Iran's airspace.