The missing crew member of the U.S. F-15E fighter jet that was shot down on Iranian soil has been located. A U.S. government official told Al Jazeera that the pilot was successfully rescued amid “intense gunfire.”
Another U.S. official stated that the crew member has been safely evacuated out of Iran. Later, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, claiming the service member was recovered in a “safe” and “stable” condition.
Trump also mentioned that although the individual sustained minor injuries, they are expected to recover. Earlier, citing multiple U.S. officials, CBS News reported that U.S. forces rescued the crew member early Sunday morning local time from a remote area inside Iran. The individual’s location had been identified on Friday.
According to sources, the U.S. rescue team confirmed the crew member’s position inside Iran late the previous night, after which the extraction operation was launched.
However, during the rescue mission, intense exchanges of fire broke out between Iranian and U.S. forces, turning the area into an active combat zone.
The exact medical condition of the rescued crew member has not yet been fully disclosed. The fighter jet, carrying two crew members, was shot down by Iranian forces on Friday.
While one crew member had been rescued earlier, the other—identified as the weapons systems officer—had remained missing until now.
Demand to rescue second crew member of US warplane shot down in Iran
