AJ
Multiple reports began to indicate that US fighter jets were conducting bombings on the southern side of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, likely targeting IRGC or Iranian troops that were searching for the missing pilot, but as Tasnim News Agency confirmed the strikes had taken place, they also attempted to claim that the ‘United States is attempting to kill its own pilot.”
Soon after, local reports indicated that several US helicopters had entered Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Provinces in Iran and were being fired upon by local tribes, but this didn’t stop the rescue operation, because US Air Force Pararescue Jumpers (PJs) were mounting an operation to rescue the remaining pilot, and heavy clashes were reported.
Footage released showed an aircraft or a projectile impacting in Dehdasht, Iran, the exact area where the search and rescue operation for the pilot was ongoing, but it was unclear what the object in the sky was that clearly exploded midair and crashed.
Al Jazeera attempted to break the news from a US government official that the second crew member had been recovered after an ‘heavy firefight,’ but the news organisation was later told the rescue operation was still in progress at the current time, the crew member was confirmed rescued, and the rescue team still had to successfully exfiltrate from Iran and get to safety.
US officials later confirmed to Fox News that the missing crew member had been rescued and was safe following a complex operation that had began on Friday morning, with Reuters, Axios, The Washington Post, New York Times, and CBS, all confirmed the missing crew member was safe.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say: “We Got Him! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue operations in US History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I thrilled to let you know is safe and sound,” adding that this was a moment for everyone to be proud of, showing that America had the ‘best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World.’
Fox News reported that the second crew member was a Weapons System Officer who had ejected from the downed fighter jet, hiked away from the crash site, and hid from Iranian soldiers on an elevated ridge to evade capture, putting out an emergency beacon for US Special Operations pararescue-men and other elite rescue forces, who located the crew member and fended off Iranian soldiers, adding that no US soldiers were killed during the operation.
According to Fox News, the A-10 Warthog attack aircraft that crashed on Friday was the plane that provided cover for the rescue teams involved in locating the pilot, with the A-10 pilot successfully ejecting over Kuwait before being rescued, while also reporting that two rescue helicopters were hit by Iranian fire during Friday’s rescue operation, injuring crew members, but the helicopters were able to fly out of Iran to safety.
The New York Times reported a final twist to the story, stating that two transport planes that would carry the commandos and airmen to safety got stuck at a remote base in Iran, so the Commanders decided to fly in three new planes to extract all the US military personnel and airmen, blowing up the two disabled planes before leaving so they didn’t fall into Iranian hands.
Images of a before and after appeared to show the plane before it was sabotaged, and again after, which appeared to be legitimate due to the timing of the rescue, reported AMK Mapping, who also geolocated the destroyed planes.
IRGC issued a statement claiming they were the ones who destroyed the US C-130 south of Isfahan, contradicting the New York Times claims that US forces blew them up to prevent them falling into Iranian hands.
Debris from the C-130 was published by Iranian media and shared by AMK Mapping and NovaReRum, who stated the image also appeared to show an MH-6 Little Bird helicopter had been destroyed, which the New York Times failed to mention.
