A missing U.S. service member who was shot down in Iran has been rescued, Donald Trump has announced.
“WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History,” the president posted on Truth Social late Saturday night.
The desperate race to find the F-15 crew member, a weapons system officer, had been ongoing for almost three days after the aircraft was shot down Friday while undertaking military operations in Iran. The pilot of the aircraft was previously rescued.
Iranian authorities had offered a bounty to anyone who hands over the missing pilot alive, a state television anchor announced. White House officials had remained largely silent on the search.
In his post Trump said that the “incredible” crew member, “who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel,” was now “SAFE and SOUND!”
“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue,” the president wrote.
“At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him.”
Trump added that the unnamed airman had sustained injuries during the crash but “will be just fine.”
Prior to Saturday night’s post, the president had not addressed the public about the search-and-rescue operation, and last appeared publicly at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, after which he delivered a national address about the war.
He is staying at the White House through Easter weekend, rather than at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and does not have any public events scheduled, leading to speculation online about is absence, though the White House was quick to shut down rumors that it was for health-related reasons.
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