Donald Trump said a US crew member stranded after Iran shot down an F-15 fighter jet was rescued and is now "safe and sound".
The airman was the second crew member of the jet reportedly downed by Iranian air defences on April 3, after the first crew member had already been recovered. Trump said the airman sustained injuries but would recover, while Fox News reported he was in critical condition and that several US service members were injured during the rescue but are now safe.
The rescue followed a tense 36-hour operation in southwest Iran, where US forces and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were reportedly attempting to reach the missing officer.
The weapon systems officer reportedly hid on elevated terrain after escaping the wreckage and activated an emergency beacon. US forces launched strikes on Iranian convoys approaching the area as troops moved in to extract him, according to US media.
During the operation on April 3, an Iranian strike reportedly hit a US Black Hawk helicopter involved in the mission