An Air Force officer whose fighter jet was shot down over Iran was successfully rescued by U.S. special operations forces on Saturday night during a high-risk mission deep behind enemy lines, multiple current and former U.S. officials familiar with the operation said.
Officials said the rescue followed a two-day life-or-death race between the U.S. and Iranian forces to find the injured weapons systems officer. Eventually, U.S. commandos rescued him in a massive operation involving hundreds of special operators. A senior U.S. military officer said that there were no U.S. casualties in the rescue team and that all commandos and the weapons systems officer returned safely. Rescue aircraft have been flown to Kuwait to treat the injured weapons systems officer.
This F-15E "Strike Eagle" fighter jet was the first U.S. military fighter jet shot down by enemy fire in this month-long war. Both crew members ejected after the plane was hit by Iranian military on Friday. The pilot was quickly rescued, but the weapons systems officer was missing, triggering an emergency search and rescue operation—a matter with major implications for President Trump and the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
The downed pilot carried only a pistol as a self-defense weapon and hid, and finding him has been the U.S. military's highest priority over the past 48 hours.
The rescue operation involved hundreds of special forces personnel, dozens of U.S. military aircraft and helicopters, and used cyber, space and other intelligence support capabilities.
US military attack aircraft bombed and shot at the Iranian convoy to prevent it from approaching the pilot's hiding area. According to two former senior military officials with knowledge of the operation, a firefight broke out as U.S. troops converged on the pilot's position.
The pilot was equipped with a beacon device and encrypted communications equipment for coordinated communication with rescue forces.
A senior US military officer said that the rescue mission was one of the most challenging and complex operations in the history of US military special operations.
After the weapons systems officer was rescued, there was an unexpected twist: Two transport planes originally responsible for safely evacuating the commandos and pilots were trapped in a remote base in Iran. The commander immediately dispatched three new aircraft to evacuate all US military personnel and pilots, and blew up the two damaged aircraft to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.
The crash attracted the attention of the Iranian military, which reportedly launched a comprehensive manhunt in the area. The Iranian government called on local people to help search for the pilot and offered a reward for his capture.