US Military Rescues Crew Member After F-15 Shot Down in Southern Iran

The US military conducted a rescue operation for a missing crew member after an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down in southern Iran. The incident occurred on Friday and marked the first US fighter jet downed by enemy fire in more than 20 years. The aircraft carried a pilot and a weapons systems officer, both of whom ejected.

The pilot was rescued on the same day, while the second crew member remained missing initially. US forces initiated a search operation. Iran stated it sought to capture the airman alive and offered a bounty of £50,000 ($66,100). Social media videos, unverified by the BBC, showed armed civilians searching the area.

The missing airman, equipped only with a handgun, followed survival training by activating a beacon signal, moving to high ground, concealing himself, and establishing communications. US media reports indicated he hid in a mountain crevice and limited beacon use to avoid detection by Iranian forces.

The CIA tracked the airman's location in the mountain crevice and provided coordinates to the Pentagon, according to a senior Trump administration official cited in US media. The operation involved hundreds of special forces personnel, dozens of US fighter jets and helicopters, and a deception campaign by the CIA spreading false information within Iran that the airman had already been rescued.

US special forces approached the location using bombs and weapons fire to deter Iranian troops. President Donald Trump stated on social media on Sunday:

“We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran.”

Trump added that the airman's location was monitored 24 hours a day and that he was being pursued by Iranian forces getting closer by the hour. The US deployed dozens of aircraft armed with weapons for the retrieval.

Iranian state media reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops shot down a US drone over Isfahan while it searched for the airman. They also claimed to have destroyed two US C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan, foiling a deception and escape mission.

CBS News reported that two US transport planes, unable to take off from an Iranian airport, were destroyed to prevent capture by Iranian forces. Additional special forces arrived on three extra aircraft to extract the crews. BBC Verify confirmed footage and photos showing smoldering aircraft wreckage in a mountainous area 50 km southeast of Isfahan.

Reports from Iranian state media and US media on the operation's execution vary, and the BBC has not independently verified them. The rescue highlights ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, with potential implications for regional military engagements.

Affected parties include US military personnel, Iranian forces, and civilians in the area. Future developments may involve diplomatic responses or further investigations into the incident.