Revealed: The extraordinary 'Easter miracle' US rescue mission to save downed airman inside Iran

James Saunders
Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:21:18 +0000

American Special Forces carried out one of the most difficult missions in their history to save a colonel who was shot down by Iranian forces on Friday.

The severely wounded US airman, carrying only a handgun, faced near-impossible odds of survival as Iranian militants hunted him across hostile terrain.

Hundreds of elite soldiers and dozens of aircraft were scrambled - alongside a CIA misinformation effort - to bring him home.

Navy Seal Team Six, the unit responsible for killing Osama bin Laden, touched down in a remote mountain area to extract the seriously hurt aviator.

Iranian mullahs had offered a £50,000 reward for his capture, while local tribesmen joined the frenzied search carrying AK47s.

Donald Trump announced the airman had been recovered safely just after 5am UK time.

The President later texted reporters: "The rescue was an Easter miracle. The enemy was large and violent. The rescuers were brilliant, strong, decisive and as cool as anyone can be.'"

Both the pilot and weapons systems officer had ejected after their F-15E Strike Eagle was struck by Iranian air defences on Friday.

The pilot was recovered within hours but the weapons systems officer, a Colonel with extensive flying experience, remained missing.

A frantic race began between American and Iranian forces to reach him first.

Despite suffering a serious leg wound, the airman immediately applied his Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training.

He scaled a 7,000ft mountain ridge before concealing himself inside a rock crevice to await rescue.

CIA operatives proved crucial in tracking his position.

While Special Forces prepared their Combat Search and Rescue operation, intelligence agents spread false reports that the airman had already been saved and was leaving Iran by road.

They also reached out to local farmers and shepherds with limited loyalty to the regime — a method called "unconventional assisted recovery."

Dozens of aircraft including Black Hawk and Pave Hawk helicopters had been searching for the crew since the F-15 went down.

After more than 24 hours, CIA operatives finally pinpointed the airman's location on Saturday and relayed his coordinates to the Pentagon.

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Israel provided support by striking more than 120 targets, creating a massive wall of covering fire.

American forces simultaneously bombed Iranian military convoys to clear a path for what one US official called "one of the most challenging and complex missions in the history of US special operations."

Late on Saturday night, with Iranian troops closing in, Navy Seals landed near the airman aboard an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter.

MQ-9 Reaper drones maintained a protective ring around the extraction site, engaging any military-aged males deemed threatening within two miles.

Iranian officials reported 10 deaths in the province.

Two MC-130 transport aircraft became stuck in sand at a temporary airbase during the operation - though observers noted the fact the US could even establish a makeshift runway proved just how overwhelming its forces were.

Later, Special Forces destroyed the stranded planes - along with at least two MH-6M Little Bird helicopters - to prevent sensitive equipment reaching Iranian hands.

The airman was flown to Kuwait for medical treatment once his identity was verified.

Mr Trump hailed the operation as "one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History."

He said: "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."

The President added: "The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming air dominance and superiority over the Iranian skies."

Following the rescue, the President issued a stark warning over the Strait of Hormuz.

In an expletive-laden post, he said: "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!"

While Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I congratulate Donald Trump on the rescue of a brave American pilot by America's courageous warriors."