U.S. officials and White House sources say American forces carried out a complex, multi‑aircraft mission to find and rescue a crewman from an F‑15 shot down over Iran. Dozens of commandos, attack helicopters and fixed‑wing aircraft were involved in the search and eventual extraction, sources told CBS News.
Video circulating online purports to show the wreckage of two U.S. C‑130 transport planes that were involved in the operation on a remote base in Iran; U.S. sources said the aircraft were destroyed by American forces to prevent them falling into enemy hands, a standard military practice. Attack helicopters and aircraft reportedly kept Iranian forces from reaching the crewman, who had been hiding in mountainous terrain while armed Iranians searched for him with the promise of a cash reward.
The CIA was reported to have played a role in the recovery, including a deception effort to spread false information inside Iran that U.S. forces had already found the crewman and were moving him out by ground, sources said.
The downing of the F‑15 occurred amid an intense U.S. bombing campaign inside Iran. The strikes have included the destruction of infrastructure and, according to Iranian officials, attacks that killed civilians. Iran has continued to retaliate, with missiles striking targets across the Gulf region and a residential building hit in Haifa, Israel; Iranian strikes have also been reported against an oil refinery in Iraq and incidents around Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
President Trump posted a profanity‑laced message on social media today escalating his public threats toward Iran and setting a deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. In the post he demanded Iran reopen the waterway by Tuesday and warned of further strikes; he also said there would be a press conference from the Oval Office with military officials to share more details about the rescue operations.
The president’s language drew criticism from lawmakers across Washington. Opponents called the post irresponsible and urged clearer strategic rationale and planning. Former U.S. Central Command head Frank McKenzie told Face the Nation that Iran would be well‑served to take the president at his word, while some lawmakers and commentators condemned the tone and questioned whether the administration had a coherent plan.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad‑Bagher Ghalibaf called the threats “reckless,” and an Iranian spokesman said the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened only after Tehran received compensation for war damages.
U.S. officials said the pilot of the F‑15 was rescued within hours and sustained some injuries; President Trump said the second crewman is seriously wounded. The White House and military officials said more details of the operations would be provided at the scheduled press briefing.