October 1, 2026
JERUSALEM (AP) — President Donald Trump announced early Sunday the 'daring' rescue of an American aviator nearly two days after he was shot down over Iran.
"The United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History," according to a post on Truth Social.
In a text to NBC's Kristen Welker, Trump called the successful rescue mission "an Easter Miracle."
The extraction came after a frantic search in what appears to be a remote, mountainous region of Iran. A second crew member had been rescued on Friday, soon after the F-15E Strike Eagle crashed. It was the first U.S. aircraft to be downed by Iranian fire since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.
“This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!”
The operation began with a deception campaign launched by the CIA, a senior U.S. administration official said Sunday.
Before locating the airman, the CIA spread word inside Iran that U.S. forces had already found him and were moving him on the ground for exfiltration, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public. The campaign managed to confuse Iranian officials while the agency conducted its search and rescue operations, the official said.
Those operations involved “dozens of aircraft,” armed with lethal weaponry, Trump said. Iran had promised a sizable reward to anyone who captured the service member.
“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” Trump wrote.
The difficult rescue came after a Friday operation to save the first airman was conducted in “broad daylight,” Trump wrote. He said the White House had avoided confirming the rescue to avoid jeopardizing the search for the second aviator.
Trump said the airman held the rank of colonel and had been seriously wounded. Nonetheless, Trump said he would be “just fine."
Trump gave no details about the first crewman's condition.
On Sunday, Iran’s state television aired a video showing what it claimed were parts of U.S. aircraft — a transport plane and two helicopters — shot down by Iranian forces during the rescue operation.
A regional intelligence official briefed on the mission said the U.S. military was forced to bring in additional aircraft to complete the rescue due to a technical malfunction. The official said the U.S. blew up two transport planes it was forced to leave because of the mishap. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert mission.
A U.S. Air Force single-seat A-10 "Warthog" attack aircraft that was providing close air support for the search and rescue mission was hit over Iran and crashed in Kuwait, according to a U.S. official. The pilot was rescued, according to the official.
Two Black Hawk helicopters were hit but navigated to safe airspace, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive information.
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