U.S. forces successfully rescued a wounded Air Force colonel deep in Iran's mountains nearly 48 hours after his F-15E fighter jet was struck in southwest Iran. The weapons systems officer evaded capture using survival training while Iranian forces searched amid a reported bounty. President Trump praised the operation and announced a Monday press conference.
An F-15E Strike Eagle was hit in southwest Iran, forcing the pilot and weapons systems officer, a highly respected colonel, to eject. The pilot was rescued in broad daylight after seven hours of operations over Iran, President Donald Trump said in a Sunday statement. The colonel, seriously wounded, climbed roughly 7,000 feet into rugged terrain, relying on Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training and a satellite beacon to signal rescuers while Iranian forces closed in 'in big numbers.' Trump monitored the effort alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and directed dozens of aircraft for the extraction, which involved hundreds of special operations personnel, warplanes, helicopters, cyber, space, and intelligence support, according to U.S. military officials cited by The New York Times and Fox News. Israeli officials shared intelligence and paused airstrikes in the area to aid the mission, as reported by Fox News and NPR. The CIA ran a deception campaign spreading false reports that the colonel had been rescued, confusing pursuers, Fox News said. MQ-9 Reaper drones established a lethal perimeter as Iranians approached within three kilometers, per Air & Space Forces Magazine. Iranian convoys were struck to block access to the zone, The New York Times reported. Reports conflict on combat: The New York Times said U.S. forces engaged Iranian units; Fox News reported no direct firefight; anonymous U.S. officials told The Washington Post that Iranians fired on two helicopters, wounding service members. NPR cited a U.S. official saying three low-flying rescue aircraft—an A-10 and two helicopters—were hit but reached safety. Two MC-130J special operations planes became disabled at a remote site, stuck in mud according to some accounts; commanders flew in three more aircraft to evacuate personnel and destroyed the craft to prevent capture. Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, former CENTCOM commander, praised the 'executed pretty effectively' mission on CBS's Face the Nation, emphasizing the tradition of never leaving anyone behind: 'It takes a year to build an aircraft and it takes 200 years to build a military tradition.' Trump will hold a press conference Monday at 1:00 p.m. ET with military officials. CENTCOM and the Department of War declined comment.
