U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Sunday the success of a military operation to rescue an F-15 crew member from within Iran. His statement comes in response to Iranian claims that the mission was thwarted and resulted in the destruction of American military equipment.
اضافة اعلان
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that U.S. forces "rescued a critically injured crew member from deep within the mountains of Iran," noting that the operation was executed despite a "massive and intense" search by the Iranian military.
Trump highlighted that the U.S. military conducted two "rare and dangerous" rescue operations to extract a "highly respected" Colonel after he was seriously injured following the downing of his F-15. He described the mission as the kind "rarely performed" due to the high risks to "personnel and equipment," noting that one of the two operations took place in broad daylight and lasted seven hours over Iranian territory.
Iranian Counterclaims
In contrast, the Iranian Armed Forces described the mission as a "miserable failure," claiming they intercepted the operation at an abandoned airport south of Isfahan.
Iranian military spokesperson Ibrahim Zolfaghari was quoted describing the mission as a "deception and escape plan," claiming the destruction of two C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters. State media broadcast images of charred wreckage scattered across a desert area, with smoke still rising from the debris.
Furthermore, the Tasnim News Agency reported that strikes carried out during the rescue operation resulted in the deaths of five people in southwestern Iran, though it did not specify whether they were civilians or military personnel.
Trump announced that he will hold a press conference with military leaders in the Oval Office on Monday at 1:00 PM (Washington D.C. time) to present the details of the operation and clarify the American account of the rescue.
