US president Donald Trump during a press conference in The White House on Monday (April 6) spoke in detail about the rescue mission carried out by its military for the stranded American airmen, who were rescued on Saturday from inside Tehran. He said that not everybody was in the military was in support of the idea to carry out the rescue mission as it could risk several lives. However, he decided he will go ahead with the mission.&nbsp;"We had people within the military who did not think this was a good idea. I was told it was a dangerous mission, not foolish, but dangerous we were endangering hundreds of people," said Trump.&nbsp;Speaking about the danger involved and the size of the rescue mission, Trump pointed that 170 aircraft were used in the operation to recover the first crew member and another 155 in the second rescue mission.&nbsp;ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/will-continue-war-iran-sets-10-conditions-for-talks-after-rejecting-us-proposal-1775496150829">Will continue war: Iran sets 10 conditions for talks after rejecting US proposal</a>&nbsp;“The second rescue mission involved four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft and more. We were bringing them all over and a lot of it was subterfuge,” he said.Speaking about the dangers he said, "US military personnel faced gunfire at very close range during rescue in Iran."&nbsp;He called the rescue operation a mission “like finding a needle in a haystack," and added that "I ordered the US armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home... In the United States military, we leave no American behind."&nbsp;Trump also mentioned that the rescued airman was hiding in Iranian mountains and kept climbing higher to improve chances of recovery. Finding him was a difficult task he further said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Speaking about the size of the rescue mission, Trump pointed that 170 aircraft were used in the operation to recover the first crew member and another 155 in the second rescue mission.

US president Donald Trump during a press conference in The White House on Monday (April 6) spoke in detail about the rescue mission carried out by its military for the stranded American airmen, who were rescued on Saturday from inside Tehran. He said that not everybody was in the military was in support of the idea to carry out the rescue mission as it could risk several lives. However, he decided he will go ahead with the mission. "We had people within the military who did not think this was a good idea. I was told it was a dangerous mission, not foolish, but dangerous we were endangering hundreds of people," said Trump. Speaking about the danger involved and the size of the rescue mission, Trump pointed that 170 aircraft were used in the operation to recover the first crew member and another 155 in the second rescue mission. ALSO READ: Will continue war: Iran sets 10 conditions for talks after rejecting US proposal “The second rescue mission involved four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft and more. We were bringing them all over and a lot of it was subterfuge,” he said. Speaking about the dangers he said, "US military personnel faced gunfire at very close range during rescue in Iran." He called the rescue operation a mission “like finding a needle in a haystack," and added that "I ordered the US armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home... In the United States military, we leave no American behind." Trump also mentioned that the rescued airman was hiding in Iranian mountains and kept climbing higher to improve chances of recovery. Finding him was a difficult task he further said.

Speaking about the size of the rescue mission, Trump pointed that 170 aircraft were used in the operation to recover the first crew member and another 155 in the second rescue mission.

170 aircraft used in the operation to recover first crew member: Here's all what Trump said on rescue of pilots

The US military operation to rescue the F-15E pilot that was shot down in Iran almost ended in a disaster before special forces managed to safely leave the Iranian territory with the injured airman. The high-risk mission took place deep inside the enemy territory as hundreds of American commandos scaled a 7,000‑foot ridge to extract the crew member who was stranded in Iran. US officials revealed that the mission that unfolded with near‑perfect precision nearly veered off course due to mechanical issues.According to a Reuters report, the plan included US forces infiltrating undetected and bringing the US pilot to a secret rendezvous point before dawn on Sunday. However, the two MC-130 aircraft, which had ferried some of the roughly 100 special forces personnel into rugged terrain south of Tehran, encountered a mechanical failure and could not take off. This risked the commandos being stuck behind enemy lines.A high-risk decision was then made by the commanders to fly additional aircraft into Iran and extract the group in waves. This meant that the US team had to wait for some hours before they were taken out of Iranian territory.“If there was a ‘holy s**t’ moment, that was it,” the official told Reuters, crediting quick decision-making for saving the day. ​The US troops destroyed disabled the MC‑130s and four additional helicopters inside Iran to prevent leaving sensitive equipment behind in enemy territory.<h2>US pilot’s ‘God is good’ message raised fears of capture</h2>Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Apr 5) revealed that the United States was initially sceptical about a message from the stranded F-15E weapons system officer. In an interview following the rescue of the US pilot, Trump told Axios that the US was worried that the Iranians were playing a trick to lure US forces into a trap when they received a message from the serviceman stranded in Iran.The weapons system officer sent a short, unusual message over his radio after ejecting from the aircraft over Iran. Trump said that the US military had “beeping information” about his location. However, after his radio message, officials suspected he might have been captured and Iranians were “sending false signals” to try to lure U.S. forces into a trap.According to Trump, the pilot’s message on the radio “sounded like something a Muslim would say.” However, people who knew the officer said that it wasn’t an unusual phrase for the pilot and that he was a religious person.After it was confirmed that the pilot was alive and not captured by Iran, the rescue operation took place swiftly to locate him and bring him back.Trump said that around 200 troops from special operations units took part in the rescue mission. The officer hid in a crevice in the mountain for more than 24 hours to evade capture by the Iranians.Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

US commandos’ Iran rescue mission nearly failed after MC-130 aircraft malfunction left troops at risk behind enemy lines, but a high-risk extraction plan ensured safe evacuation of the injured pilot.

The US military operation to rescue the F-15E pilot that was shot down in Iran almost ended in a disaster before special forces managed to safely leave the Iranian territory with the injured airman. The high-risk mission took place deep inside the enemy territory as hundreds of American commandos scaled a 7,000‑foot ridge to extract the crew member who was stranded in Iran. US officials revealed that the mission that unfolded with near‑perfect precision nearly veered off course due to mechanical issues. According to a Reuters report, the plan included US forces infiltrating undetected and bringing the US pilot to a secret rendezvous point before dawn on Sunday. However, the two MC-130 aircraft, which had ferried some of the roughly 100 special forces personnel into rugged terrain south of Tehran, encountered a mechanical failure and could not take off. This risked the commandos being stuck behind enemy lines. A high-risk decision was then made by the commanders to fly additional aircraft into Iran and extract the group in waves. This meant that the US team had to wait for some hours before they were taken out of Iranian territory. “If there was a ‘holy s**t’ moment, that was it,” the official told Reuters, crediting quick decision-making for saving the day. The US troops destroyed disabled the MC‑130s and four additional helicopters inside Iran to prevent leaving sensitive equipment behind in enemy territory. US pilot’s ‘God is good’ message raised fears of capture Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Apr 5) revealed that the United States was initially sceptical about a message from the stranded F-15E weapons system officer. In an interview following the rescue of the US pilot, Trump told Axios that the US was worried that the Iranians were playing a trick to lure US forces into a trap when they received a message from the serviceman stranded in Iran. The weapons system officer sent a short, unusual message over his radio after ejecting from the aircraft over Iran. Trump said that the US military had “beeping information” about his location. However, after his radio message, officials suspected he might have been captured and Iranians were “sending false signals” to try to lure U.S. forces into a trap. According to Trump, the pilot’s message on the radio “sounded like something a Muslim would say.” However, people who knew the officer said that it wasn’t an unusual phrase for the pilot and that he was a religious person. After it was confirmed that the pilot was alive and not captured by Iran, the rescue operation took place swiftly to locate him and bring him back. Trump said that around 200 troops from special operations units took part in the rescue mission. The officer hid in a crevice in the mountain for more than 24 hours to evade capture by the Iranians. Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

US commandos’ Iran rescue mission nearly failed after MC-130 aircraft malfunction left troops at risk behind enemy lines, but a high-risk extraction plan ensured safe evacuation of the injured pilot.

‘Holy s**t moment’: How US operation to rescue F-15E pilot from Iran almost went wrong

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Apr 5) said that the United States was initially sceptical about a message from the stranded F-15E weapons system officer, who was rescued from Iran after his aircraft went down in Iranian territory. This comes after Trump announced that the airman was “SAFE and SOUND” after he was recovered from Iran following “the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History.” The F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over southern Iran on Friday (Apr 3), the first such incident since the start of the war. While the first pilot was rescued by the US forces earlier, the second had remained missing behind the enemy lines as American and Iranian forces raced to locate him. Reportedly, the second crew member from the downed F-15E has been recovered after a “heavy firefight”.In an interview following the rescue of the US pilot, Trump told Axios that the US was worried that the Iranians were playing a trick to lure US forces into a trap when they received a message from the serviceman stranded in Iran.<h2>What did the US pilot say in his message?</h2>The weapons system officer sent a short, unusual message over his radio after ejecting from the aircraft over Iran. Trump said that the US military had “beeping information” about his location. However, after his radio message, officials suspected he might have been captured and Iranians were “sending false signals” to try to lure U.S. forces into a trap.According to a US defense official, the exact phrase from the airman was: “God is Good”. The same phrase was used by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on X after the US announced the successful rescue of the F-15E crew member.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">God is good.&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2040779298823659939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

According to Trump, the pilot’s message on the radio “sounded like something a Muslim would say.” However, people who knew the officer said that it wasn’t an unusual phrase for the pilot and that he was a religious person.“It was not completely clear early on, but we stuck with it and verified he was alive and not captured. And those who knew him said he is religious,” the official told Axios.After it was confirmed that the pilot was alive and not captured by Iran, the rescue operation took place swiftly to locate him and bring him back.<h2>How was US pilot rescued?</h2>Trump said that around 200 troops from special operations units took part in the rescue mission. The officer hid in a crevice in the mountain for more than 24 hours to evade capture by the Iranians.According to a New York Times report, hundreds of special forces troops and dozens of US warplanes, helicopters, and cyber, space and other intelligence capabilities were employed to save the crew member. The US forces had a firefight with Iranian convoys. The report added that two transport planes that would carry the commandos and the airmen to safety got stuck at a remote base in Iran, following which they decided to fly three new planes to extract all the US military personnel and the airmen. They blew up the two disabled planes to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands. Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

US President Donald Trump said the US initially feared a trap after the downed F-15E officer’s three-word radio message in Iran. However, later it was verified that he was alive and not captured.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Apr 5) said that the United States was initially sceptical about a message from the stranded F-15E weapons system officer, who was rescued from Iran after his aircraft went down in Iranian territory. This comes after Trump announced that the airman was “SAFE and SOUND” after he was recovered from Iran following “the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History.” The F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over southern Iran on Friday (Apr 3), the first such incident since the start of the war. While the first pilot was rescued by the US forces earlier, the second had remained missing behind the enemy lines as American and Iranian forces raced to locate him. Reportedly, the second crew member from the downed F-15E has been recovered after a “heavy firefight”. In an interview following the rescue of the US pilot, Trump told Axios that the US was worried that the Iranians were playing a trick to lure US forces into a trap when they received a message from the serviceman stranded in Iran. What did the US pilot say in his message? The weapons system officer sent a short, unusual message over his radio after ejecting from the aircraft over Iran. Trump said that the US military had “beeping information” about his location. However, after his radio message, officials suspected he might have been captured and Iranians were “sending false signals” to try to lure U.S. forces into a trap. According to a US defense official, the exact phrase from the airman was: “God is Good”. The same phrase was used by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on X after the US announced the successful rescue of the F-15E crew member.

US President Donald Trump said the US initially feared a trap after the downed F-15E officer’s three-word radio message in Iran. However, later it was verified that he was alive and not captured.

Trump reveals US pilot’s 3-word radio message that sparked fears of Iranian trap — What did he say?

Iran released images claiming US aircraft were destroyed during an F-15E rescue mission, while Donald Trump said the pilot was safely recovered with no US casualties.

PICS | Iran releases images of US aircraft ‘destroyed’ during rescue mission

Iranian military on Sunday (Apr 5) said that the US military used an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province during the operation to rescue the stranded crew member of the F-15E that was shot down in its territory. In a statement, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the military's central command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, claimed that the US rescue operation was “completely foiled”. Iran has also released images claiming to be the wreckage of several US aircraft that were downed during the rescue mission. This comes after US President Donald Trump confirmed that the airman was “SAFE and SOUND” after he was recovered from Iran following “the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History.”“The so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled,” Zolfaghari said.<h2>Iran claims several US aircraft shot down</h2>He added that “two C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed” during the operation.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by Tasnim news ​agency that several aircraft were destroyed during the US mission to locate the stranded pilot. Earlier, Iran’s police command announced that an American C-130 plane had been downed in the south of Isfahan.The F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over southern Iran on Friday (Apr 3), the first such incident since the start of the war. While the first pilot was rescued by the US forces earlier, the second had remained missing behind the enemy lines as American and Iranian forces raced to locate him. Reports suggested that the second crew member from the downed F-15E has been recovered after a “heavy firefight”.<h2>How was US pilot rescued from Iran?</h2>According to a New York Times report, hundreds of special forces troops and dozens of US warplanes, helicopters, and cyber, space and other intelligence capabilities were employed to save the crew member. The US forces had a firefight with Iranian convoys. The report added that two transport planes that would carry the commandos and the airmen to safety got stuck at a remote base in Iran, following which they decided to fly three new planes to extract all the US military personnel and the airmen. They blew up the two disabled planes to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.Trump said that while the pilot had sustained injuries, there were no US casualties in the rescue operation. Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that overnight strikes in the Kouh-e Siah area in southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province during the US rescue mission killed five people.Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

Iran said that the US used an abandoned airport in Isfahan in the operation to rescue an F-15E pilot, while claiming that it had foiled the American operation and downed multiple aircraft. This comes after US President Donald Trump said that the airman was rescued safely.

Iranian military on Sunday (Apr 5) said that the US military used an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province during the operation to rescue the stranded crew member of the F-15E that was shot down in its territory. In a statement, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the military's central command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, claimed that the US rescue operation was “completely foiled”. Iran has also released images claiming to be the wreckage of several US aircraft that were downed during the rescue mission. This comes after US President Donald Trump confirmed that the airman was “SAFE and SOUND” after he was recovered from Iran following “the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History.” “The so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled,” Zolfaghari said. Iran claims several US aircraft shot down He added that “two C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed” during the operation. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by Tasnim news agency that several aircraft were destroyed during the US mission to locate the stranded pilot. Earlier, Iran’s police command announced that an American C-130 plane had been downed in the south of Isfahan. The F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over southern Iran on Friday (Apr 3), the first such incident since the start of the war. While the first pilot was rescued by the US forces earlier, the second had remained missing behind the enemy lines as American and Iranian forces raced to locate him. Reports suggested that the second crew member from the downed F-15E has been recovered after a “heavy firefight”. How was US pilot rescued from Iran? According to a New York Times report, hundreds of special forces troops and dozens of US warplanes, helicopters, and cyber, space and other intelligence capabilities were employed to save the crew member. The US forces had a firefight with Iranian convoys. The report added that two transport planes that would carry the commandos and the airmen to safety got stuck at a remote base in Iran, following which they decided to fly three new planes to extract all the US military personnel and the airmen. They blew up the two disabled planes to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands. Trump said that while the pilot had sustained injuries, there were no US casualties in the rescue operation. Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that overnight strikes in the Kouh-e Siah area in southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province during the US rescue mission killed five people. Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

Iran said that the US used an abandoned airport in Isfahan in the operation to rescue an F-15E pilot, while claiming that it had foiled the American operation and downed multiple aircraft. This comes after US President Donald Trump said that the airman was rescued safely.

‘US op was completely foiled’: Iran’s military says Americans used abandoned airport in Isfahan to rescue F-15E pilot

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170 aircraft used in the operation to recover first crew member: Here's all what Trump said on rescue of pilots

How US operation to rescue F-15E pilot from Iran almost went wrong

US pilot’s 3-word radio message sparked fears of Iranian trap — What did he say?

Iran releases images of US aircraft ‘destroyed’ during rescue mission

Iran’s military says US used abandoned airport in Isfahan to rescue F-15E pilot