Overview
- U.S. forces recovered the F‑15E crew in Iran, with the pilot rescued within hours Friday and the weapons officer extracted Sunday after roughly two days on a mountain ridge.
- The second airman, identified by President Trump as a colonel, was injured, used a beacon to make contact, and was flown to Kuwait for treatment, according to officials.
- The rescue leveraged a CIA deception effort, electronic jamming, and special‑operations teams including SEAL Team 6, with Trump saying U.S. aircraft spent hours over Iranian territory.
- U.S. troops destroyed disabled MC‑130 transport planes at a makeshift strip inside Iran to prevent technology capture, while Iran claimed more U.S. aircraft were downed and alleged a covert bid to seize enriched uranium, which remains unverified.
- Trump lauded the mission at a Monday White House briefing and asserted no U.S. casualties, as news outlets and Iranian statements pointed to injuries, destroyed aircraft, and unresolved details that could shape the next phase of the conflict.