About 100 American special forces fighters infiltrated Iran at night, reaching the mountainous area where the injured officer was located, and brought him to a pre-determined evacuation point. However, the breakdown of the two transport planes forced the command to send additional aircraft to carry out the evacuation in stages.
As a result, the group was successfully evacuated in several flights. The faulty MC-130s and four helicopters were destroyed on site to prevent sensitive equipment from falling into enemy hands.
The rescued officer became the second crew member of the F-15E, which was shot down by Iranian air defense on April 3. The first crew member had been rescued earlier. It is reported that the injured serviceman was in hiding and contacted American forces himself, going through a verification procedure to rule out possible traps.
During the operation, the CIA conducted a disinformation campaign in Iran, spreading false reports that the pilot had already been found and was being evacuated. Additionally, American forces suppressed Iranian surveillance assets and struck roads near the officer's hiding place, Reuters reports.
After the operation was completed, U.S. President Donald Trump characterized it as one of the boldest search-and-rescue operations in the country's history. However, Iran claimed that several aerial targets were destroyed during the operation, but these claims were not confirmed by independent sources.
At the same time, another American aircraft, the A-10 Warthog, crashed in the Persian Gulf area. According to Reuters, since the beginning of the conflict, 13 American servicemen have been killed, and more than 300 have been injured.
