F-15 officer received help from locals on the ground. Hundreds of special forces were involved.

American commandos carried out a risky mission in Iran to extract an injured crew member who bailed out when a U.S. fighter jet was shot down on Friday.

An Air Force weapons officer whose fighter jet had been shot down in Iran was rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces in a risky Saturday night mission that took commandos deep into enemy territory, said current and former U.S. officials briefed on the operation.

President Trump confirmed in a social media post just after midnight that the stranded officer had been brought out of Iran safely by U.S. forces. “He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Mr. Trump said. He added that there were no U.S. casualties.

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https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/04/world/iran-war-trump-news?unlocked_article_code=1.YlA.2S_j.jeOSQ6OZSsbw

Replacement aircraft were needed. Story keeps getting more remarkable.