A mountain hideout and aircraft under fire: US carries out daring rescue
of service member in Iran
[April 06, 2026]
By SEUNG MIN KIM, MATTHEW LEE and SAMY MAGDY
The United States pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose
fighter jet was shot down by Iran, plucking the pilot from behind enemy
lines before setting off a complicated extraction of the second service
member who hid deep in the mountains as Tehran called for Iranians to
help capture him.
The CIA looked to throw off Iran’s government before the crew member was
found, launching a deception campaign to spread word inside the Islamic
Republic that the U.S. had already located him.
Even as President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials described an
almost cinematic mission, rescuers faced major obstacles, including two
Black Hawk helicopters coming under fire and problems with two transport
planes that forced the U.S. military to blow them up.
“This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have
been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” Trump wrote early
Sunday on his Truth Social platform. “WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN
WARFIGHTER BEHIND!”
US officials stayed silent as the operation played out
In a pair of social media posts, Trump said the operation over the
weekend required the U.S. to remain completely silent to avoid
jeopardizing the effort, even as the president and top members of his
administration continuously monitored the airman’s location.
The White House and the Pentagon refused to publicly discuss details
about the downed fighter jet for well over 24 hours after the initial
crash, particularly about the first crew member rescued from the F-15E
Strike Eagle — an effort that Trump later said took seven hours in broad
daylight over Iran.
The United States and Iran's government then were both racing to find
the second crew member, a weapons systems officer, whose location
neither side knew.
The CIA spread word in Iran that the U.S. had found him and were moving
him by ground to get him out of the country, according to a senior Trump
administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss
details not yet made public.
The confusion allowed the CIA time to uncover the location of the
service member, who was hiding in a mountain crevice, the official said.
He had climbed 7,000 feet (2,133 meters) despite being injured, said
Sen. Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican who told “Fox News
Sunday” that he was briefed by a senior administration official involved
in the operation.
The intelligence agency sent the aviator's coordinates to the Pentagon
and the White House, where Trump ordered a rescue operation.
Iran urged the public to look for the ‘enemy pilot’
Meanwhile, an anchor on a channel affiliated with Iranian state
television had been urging residents in the mountainous region of
southwest Iran where the fighter jet went down to hand over any “enemy
pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did.
Trump said the American aviator was being “hunted down” by enemies who
were “getting closer and closer by the hour.” The United States was
monitoring his location continuously, he said.
At the right moment, Trump said, he directed the military to send dozens
of heavily armed aircraft to rescue the crew member, who the president
said is “seriously wounded” but will recover.
Iranian state media reported that airstrikes in southwestern Iran on
Saturday killed at least three people and wounded others, in the same
area where the missing American crew member was believed to be.
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In this image provided by Sepahnews, the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard's official website, black smoke rises into the air at what
Iran's state TV claimed was the site where an American transport
plane and two helicopters involved in a rescue operation were shot
down, in Isfahan province, Iran, April, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)
US rescuers face obstacles with aircraft during the operation
The American rescue mission ran into major challenges behind enemy
lines. Iran’s joint military command claimed it struck two U.S.
Black Hawk helicopters taking part in the operation.
A person familiar with the situation said the two helicopters were
able to navigate to safe airspace, although it’s unclear if they
landed or if crew members were injured. The person spoke on the
condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive information.
Then, the U.S. military was forced to bring in additional aircraft
to complete the rescue of the second service member due to a
technical malfunction, according to a regional intelligence official
briefed on the mission. The U.S. blew up two transport planes it was
forced to leave behind because of the mishap, said the official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert mission.
Iran’s state television on Sunday aired a video showing what it
claimed were parts of a U.S. aircraft shot down by Iranian forces,
along with a photo of thick, black smoke rising. The broadcaster
said Iran had shot down a transport plane and two helicopters that
were part of the rescue operation.
Iran’s joint military command said the destroyed aircraft included
two C-130 military transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters
in the province of Isfahan, where the rescue took place.
“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,” Trump said on social media.
A second US military jet also was downed
Trump, however, did not mention that a second military jet also went
down the same day as the F-15E.
Iranian state media said Friday that a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft
crashed after being struck by Iran’s defense forces.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a
sensitive military situation, confirmed a second Air Force combat
aircraft went down in the Middle East on Friday.
An additional U.S. pilot was rescued but details were not available
given the security concerns, another person familiar with the
situation said.
Neither provided more information, including whether it was the
A-10.
___
Kim and Lee reported from Washington, and Magdy from Cairo.
Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Konstantin Toropin in
Washington, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Julia Frankel in
Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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