The second U.S. crew member missing after an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran has been rescued, President Donald Trump announced early Sunday. U.S. officials also confirmed the recovery, according to published reports.
Trump announced the rescue in a Truth Social post, writing, “WE GOT HIM!” He said the United States military had carried out “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History” and said the airman is now “SAFE and SOUND.” Trump also wrote that the officer “sustained injuries, but he will be just fine.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, one crew member had already been rescued after the F-15E was downed, while the search continued for the second.
The jet was carrying a two-person crew when Iranian forces brought it down on Friday. One crew member, identified in prior reporting as the pilot, was rescued Friday, while the second remained missing until the overnight recovery operation.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the strike in southwestern Iran. Iranian authorities had also been searching for the missing American as U.S. forces worked to recover him, according to published reports.
The rescue effort unfolded under dangerous conditions. During earlier operations, a U.S. rescue helicopter came under small-arms fire, injuring crew members on board. An A-10 involved in the mission also took fire and was damaged, and its pilot ejected and was later recovered.
The recovery closes a dangerous chapter in one of the most sensitive episodes of the war so far. The downing marked the first time a U.S. fighter jet had been shot down in combat in more than 20 years, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell said, according to published reports. At least four U.S. fighter jets have been shot down since the war began on February 28, though three were lost in a previously disclosed friendly-fire incident.