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Israel provided intelligence assistance to the United States during an operation to rescue a stranded U.S. airman in Iran and halted its attacks in the area to facilitate the mission, an Israeli security official said, according to a Reuters report on Sunday.
According to a Fox News report, Israel was involved in the rescue operation, and Israeli officials shared information with the United States as the search-and-rescue operation unfolded.
The report also said the Israeli military helped halt Iranian air strikes in the area while the rescue mission was underway over the past 36 hours.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the successful rescue operation was “another expression of the close cooperation between Israel and the United States, even in the most complex moments.”
“I commend our American partners for the safe rescue of the American aircrew,” he said in a video message.
According to a CNN report citing an Israeli official, Israel postponed some of its planned strikes in Iran on Friday so as not to interfere with search and rescue efforts for the two crew members who were aboard the downed fighter jet.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the initial rescue of the F-15E pilot on Friday involved U.S. forces operating over Iranian territory for seven hours in daylight, describing it as an unusually prolonged and exposed operation.
Trump said Sunday that dozens of aircraft were involved in the evacuation.
Trump said the United States rescued a military officer, identified as a colonel, in “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US history.”
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the officer was trapped behind enemy lines in Iran’s mountainous terrain and was being pursued by hostile forces before being safely recovered in a major military operation involving dozens of aircraft.
Noting that the officer suffered injuries, Trump said he “will be just fine.”
He said the mission followed the separate rescue of another U.S. pilot on Friday, which was not announced earlier to avoid jeopardizing the second operation.
“At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him,” Trump said. “This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory.”
He also said the operations were completed without any Americans killed or wounded.
Fox News later reported that while the rescued officer is in critical condition, several U.S. service members were also injured in the rescue but are now safe.
The weapon systems officer reportedly hid on an elevated ridge after hiking away from the wreckage and activated an emergency beacon.
U.S. aircraft struck Iranian convoys to keep them away from the airman’s location as U.S. forces converged on the downed airman, and a firefight erupted, two former senior military officials briefed on the operation told The New York Times.
Reports differed on whether a major firefight took place on the ground during the mission.
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According to Fox News, there was a massive firefight, and an A-10 Warthog that crashed on Friday in Kuwait was part of the rescue mission, while many details may not be disclosed due to the complexity of the operation.
Dozens of aircraft were involved in the rescue, with specialized commando forces and major air cover supporting the mission. The operation involved hundreds of special operations troops, helicopters, warplanes, and cyber, space and intelligence capabilities, The New York Times reported.
Two U.S. Special Operations MC-130J aircraft were destroyed on the ground during the rescue mission after becoming stranded at a remote base in Iran, with commanders opting to detonate the disabled planes to prevent capture, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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