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‘We got him!’: What Trump said after US F-15 crew member ‘safely’ extracted from Iran
Donald Trump said that high-level officials, including the commander-in-chief and the secretary of war, were monitoring the airman's location “24 hours a day."
US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the successful rescue of a second crew member from a downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran, saying the airman had been exfiltrated “safely out of Iran” after a high-risk operation.
In a celebratory post, Trump wrote, “WE GOT HIM!” as he detailed what he described as one of the most daring rescue missions carried out by the US military. Track US-Iran war live updates.
“One of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!” he said.
‘Behind enemy lines’ in Iran
Providing details of the operation, Trump said the rescued officer had been stranded in hostile terrain and closely pursued.
“At my direction, the US Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
“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,” he said, adding that he “was never truly alone”.
Trump said that high-level officials including, commander-in-chief, secretary of war Pete Hegseth, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, were monitoring the airman's location “24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.”
Two rescues in hostile territory
Trump also revealed that another crew member had been rescued earlier, but he did not immediately confirmed the details of the second operation.
Two days earlier, Iran said it brought down two US military aircraft, one was confirmed to be F-15E. The second aircraft was a US A-10 attack jet, but details about the crew’s condition and the exact crash location remained unclear.
“This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This is the first time in military memory that two US Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” he said.
Trump further went on to say: "WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! 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.”
Calling on Americans to take pride, he added, “We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World.”
Iran, US' massive search operation
The rescue unfolded amid parallel efforts by Tehran to locate the missing airman. Iranian media reported that authorities had offered a reward of about $66,000 for anyone who captured the individual alive.
The local Mehr news agency, quoting Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad deputy governor Fattah Mohammadi, said the search effort involved “popular forces and tribesmen alongside military forces and is still ongoing”.
He added that “last night, people fired at enemy helicopters with rifles and did not allow them to land”.
Images circulating on social media and verified by news agency AFPTV showed Iranian police firing at a US helicopter in southwestern Iran reportedly conducting the search operation.
