U.S. military rescue details revealed: gunfire erupted, and two damaged aircraft were destroyed

According to reports, multiple current and former U.S. officials familiar with the operation said that an Air Force officer who was shot down inside Iran by a fighter jet was successfully rescued on Saturday night by U.S. Special Operations Forces during a high-risk mission deep behind enemy lines.

The officials said that before this rescue, the two sides—U.S. and Iranian forces—launched a two-day life-and-death race to find the injured weapons-system officer. In the end, U.S. assault team members rescued him in a large-scale operation involving hundreds of special operations personnel. A senior U.S. officer said the rescue team had no U.S. personnel casualties, and all assault team members and the weapons-system officer safely returned. The rescue aircraft has flown to Kuwait to provide treatment for the injured weapons-system officer.

This F-15E “Strike Eagle” fighter was the first U.S. aircraft shot down by enemy fire during the month-long war. On Friday, after the aircraft was hit by Iranian military forces, both crew members ejected and escaped. The pilot was quickly recovered, but the weapons-system officer’s whereabouts remained unknown, prompting an urgent search-and-rescue operation—something that has had major implications for President Trump and for the war launched by the U.S. and Israel on February 28.

The downed pilot carried only a handgun as a self-defense weapon and hid. Over the past 48 hours, finding him has been the U.S. military’s top priority.

This rescue operation involved hundreds of special forces personnel, dozens of U.S. fighter jets and helicopters, and leveraged capabilities for networked, space-based, and other intelligence support.

U.S. attack aircraft bombed and opened fire on an Iranian convoy to prevent it from getting close to the area where the pilot was hiding. According to two former senior military officials familiar with the operation, when U.S. forces assembled at the pilot’s location, the two sides exchanged fire.

The pilot was equipped with a beacon device and encrypted communications equipment to coordinate and communicate with the rescue forces.

A senior U.S. officer said the rescue mission was one of the most challenging and most complex operations in the history of U.S. Special Operations.

After the weapons-system officer was rescued, an unexpected turn of events occurred: two transport aircraft that were originally responsible for safely evacuating the assault team members and the pilot became trapped at a remote base in Iran. The commander then dispatched three new aircraft to evacuate all U.S. personnel and the pilot, and destroyed the two damaged aircraft with explosives to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.

The crash incident drew the attention of Iran’s military. According to reports, Iranian forces have launched a full-scale manhunt in the area. The Iranian government has called on local residents to help search for the pilot and has offered a reward for his capture.

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