Trump hails daring rescue of two airmen after F‑15 jet shot down, while Iran asserts US search aircraft was also downed.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said both crew members of a United States F‑15 fighter jet shot down over southern Iran have been recovered following a high‑stakes combat search‑and‑rescue operation, even as Tehran claims a U.S. rescue aircraft was itself downed.
On Friday, an F‑15E Strike Eagle was brought down by Iranian air defenses over disputed territory, U.S. and international reports said, prompting one of the most complex search missions in recent military history. Trump confirmed on Truth Social that one pilot was “successfully rescued by U.S. forces” and that the second crew member, a weapons systems officer, has now also been recovered and is “safe and sound.”
Military experts described the multi‑aircraft operation involving Black Hawk helicopters, strike jets, and elite special operations teams as extraordinarily dangerous, particularly under sustained hostile fire. One rescue helicopter reportedly sustained small‑arms fire but managed to land safely with the rescued pilot.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that a U.S. aircraft engaged in the rescue mission was downed in Isfahan province, a claim not independently verified by U.S. officials. Conflicting reports place the original F‑15 crash in either Kohgiluyeh and Boyer‑Ahmad or Khuzestan provinces.
Local nomadic tribes were reported firing on rescue aircraft, complicating the mission. Analysts warned that Iranian offers of rewards for locating the missing airman could endanger any survivor.
Trump called the back‑to‑back rescues a historic achievement and reiterated that the U.S. “will never leave an American warfighter behind,” as the situation remains fluid and under close military monitoring.
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