U.S. forces have rescued an American service member who had been missing since an F-15 fighter jet was shot down in Iran on Friday, President Donald Trump said early Sunday.
“This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” Trump wrote in a social media post just after midnight Washington time.
Trump said that the aviator is injured but “will be just fine,” adding that the rescue involved “dozens of aircraft” and that U.S. had been monitoring his location “24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.”
A frantic U.S. search-and-rescue operation unfolded after the crash of the jet on Friday, as Iran promised a reward for anyone who turned in the “enemy pilot.” A second crew member was rescued earlier.
Trump has called Tehran “beaten and completely decimated ” in the war, now in its sixth week, but the downing of two U.S. warplanes on Friday had raised the stakes.
The rescue of the missing airman comes as both Iran and the U.S. traded threats to unleash “hell” as strikes continued across the region. Trump reiterated threats of increased strikes should Iran not make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Monday deadline, an ultimatum that Tehran has so far rejected.
