U.S. special forces successfully extracted the second crew member from an F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran, according to three U.S. officials who spoke with Axios. The rescue capped a dramatic 36-hour operation that saw American forces operating inside Iranian territory while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps scrambled to intercept them.
Both the pilot and weapons systems officer ejected after the jet was struck on Friday and immediately established radio contact. The pilot was retrieved within hours of the shootdown, but locating his crewmate took more than a day of searching in southwest Iran.
The initial rescue attempt did not go unopposed. An Iranian attack on a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter supporting the operation wounded crew members, though the aircraft remained airborne and completed its mission.
Saturday's operation to recover the second crew member involved a specialized commando unit backed by overwhelming air cover. U.S. forces unleashed heavy firepower as the IRGC dispatched its own units to the region in an attempt to prevent the rescue. American Air Force jets conducted strikes against Iranian forces moving toward the extraction site.
One U.S. official confirmed that all American forces successfully withdrew from Iranian airspace and territory following both rescue operations.
The incident represented a significant security crisis for the Pentagon. A downed fighter jet with two missing pilots in hostile territory created an urgent, high-stakes scenario that required immediate military action deep inside Iran. The fact that both crew members were recovered safely, despite Iranian interference and armed opposition, underscores the complexity of the operation.
President Trump and his senior national security team monitored the rescue operation in real time from the White House Situation Room, tracking developments as they unfolded.
The shootdown itself marked a rare engagement between U.S. and Iranian forces, raising tensions at a moment when regional conflicts have already drawn American military resources across the Middle East.
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