Hours hidden in a crevasse, hundreds of mobilized soldiers, the CIA involved … What we know about

The U.S. Air Force soldier spent more than two days alone in enemy territory after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down by the Iranian army on Friday. His capture by Iran could have made him a valuable bargaining chip.

Published on 05/04/2026 at 10:58 •
Updated on 05/04/2026 at 15:04

Reading time: 6min

“WE GOT HIM!” The race against time between Washington and Tehran is over: Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social network that the second aviator rescued from the crash of an F-15E aircraft in Iran on Friday, who had been missing, was rescued by the United States on the night of Saturday, April 4, to Sunday, April 5.

After the rescue of the first pilot of the fighter-bomber F-15E, claimed to have been shot down by the Iranian army on Friday, the U.S. military launched a large-scale operation to find the second soldier on board the aircraft, destroyed in the province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, in southwestern Iran. The local branch of the Iranian state television had promised a “generous reward” to anyone who would deliver the aviator. Here is what is known about this rescue, labeled by Donald Trump as “one of the most audacious search and rescue operations in U.S. history.”

The aviator hid in a crevasse

According to the New York Times, citing a U.S. officer, the sought-after soldier took advantage of the mountainous terrain where he had crashed to hide in a crevasse, concealing him from the eyes of Iran but also the United States. The aviator had to climb “a ridge over 2,100 meters high”, according to the same source.

The rescued aviator was well equipped with a beacon and communication device, but he had to limit their use to avoid detection by Iranian forces as well, according to American media citing military sources. It was ultimately the CIA, the U.S. National Intelligence Agency, that discovered his hiding place, before informing the Pentagon to prepare the rescue operation, Axios explains.

“Dozens of aircraft” and hundreds of soldiers mobilized

“At my request, the United States military sent dozens of aircraft, equipped with the deadliest weapons in the world, to find him,” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. Images circulating on social media on Saturday, authenticated by American media, showed American helicopters and planes flying low over the area in question.

According to American media, including the New York Times, the operation involved “hundreds of special operations troops and other military personnel,” as well as “cyber, space, and intelligence capabilities.” The sought-after soldier was exfiltrated by members of the Navy SEAL Team 6, according to the newspaper.

CIA conducted a disinformation operation against Iran

According to U.S. military sources cited by American media, the CIA took part in the rescue operation. The U.S. intelligence agency notably sowed confusion among Iranian troops by trying to convince them that the second pilot had already been rescued and was leaving Iran on a ground convoy.

Two rescue aircraft blocked at the last moment

During the rescue operation, American attack aircraft and helicopters bombed and fired on Iranian convoys to keep them away from the aviator’s hideout, according to an American military source, adding that there were no exchanges of fire with Iranian soldiers. The U.S. used an abandoned landing strip about 50 kilometers from the city of Isfahan, according to images released by the Iranian army and pinpointed by CNN.

The operation could have ended worse: American troops retrieved the aviator, but the two MC-130J transport planes that were supposed to help them flee Iran couldn’t take off. The U.S. military chose to use three other planes and destroy the two non-functioning ones to prevent them from serving Iran, American media, including CNN, reported.

The aviator is “seriously injured”

Donald Trump claims that the crew member, a weapons systems officer, “is injured, but he will be fine.” On Sunday, the Republican president eventually wrote on Truth Social that the aviator was “seriously injured.” “I was told he was injured during his ejection,” a CNN analyst specified. “Which certainly posed other challenges” for his safe exfiltration.

At least five Iranians killed and an American aircraft destroyed, according to Iranian media contesting the operation’s success

“Five people were martyred during the attack [in the night from Saturday to Sunday] in the Kouh-e Siah area,” in the province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, in southwestern Iran, reported the Iranian news agency Tasnim, citing a provincial official. Several Iranian state media outlets have also denied the success of the American operation. “The rescue operation of the pilot failed,” Tasnim stated, as reported by CNN.

Tasnim, citing the Revolutionary Guards, also declared that “enemy aircraft that invaded the south of Isfahan, including two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 military transport plane, were hit and are burning,” notes CNN. Iranian forces have published images showing burnt wreckage of an American aircraft in a desert area. Washington did not immediately react.