US special operations forces have staged a daring rescue of an airman caught behind enemy lines after Iran shot down his F-15 fighter jet, officials said on Sunday, resolving a major crisis for President Donald Trump as he weighs whether to escalate the five-week-old war on Iran.
"Over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History," Trump said in a statement, adding that the airman was injured, but "he will be just fine."
The airman, who Trump said held the rank of colonel, was the second of the two crew of an F-15 that Iran said on Friday had been brought down by its air defenses.
Reuters reported on Friday that the first crew member had been retrieved, triggering a high-profile search by both Iran and the United States for the remaining airman.
Iranian officials had urged citizens to help find him, hoping to gain leverage against Washington in the war Trump and Israel launched on February 28.
Trump has threatened to escalate the conflict in the coming days with attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure.
Had Iran captured the airman, the ensuing hostage crisis could have shifted American public perception of a conflict that opinion polls show has already struggled to win popular support.
Trump gave no details of the rescue but said it was the first time in military memory that two US pilots had been rescued, separately, deep in enemy territory.
US AIRCRAFT HIT
The rescue effort, involving dozens of military aircraft, encountered fierce resistance from Iran.
Reuters reported on Friday that two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search were hit by Iranian fire but escaped from Iranian airspace.
In a separate incident, a pilot ejected from an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft after it was hit over Kuwait and crashed, the officials said, though the extent of crew injuries was unclear.
Still, Trump was triumphant.
"The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies," he said in his statement.
US air crews are trained in what to do if they go down behind enemy lines, measures known as Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE), but few are fluent in Persian and face a challenge in staying undetected while seeking rescue.
The conflict has killed 13 US military service members, with more than 300 wounded, the US Central Command says.
No US troops have been taken prisoner by Iran.
While Trump has repeatedly sought to portray the Iranian military as being in tatters, it is noteworthy that they have repeatedly been able to hit US aircraft, military experts say.
Reuters first reported on US intelligence showing that Iran retains large amounts of missile and drone capability. Until just over a week ago, the US could only determine with certainty that it had destroyed about one-third of Iran's missile arsenal.
The status of about another third was less clear, but bombings probably damaged, destroyed or buried those missiles in underground tunnels and bunkers, Reuters sources said.
The US and Israeli war on Iran has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands and hitting the global economy with soaring energy prices that are fueling fears of inflation.
