When an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over southwestern Iran, its two-person crew ejected and landed miles apart in the rugged Zagros Mountains.
The pilot recovered relatively quickly, but the weapons systems officer, injured after ejecting, remained stranded, evading capture in the mountains for more than a day. Using his survival training, he treated his own wounds, kept moving, and stayed out of sight, according to reports.
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What followed was one of the more complex search-and-rescue operations the US military has conducted in recent years, one that required as much intelligence tradecraft as it did firepower.
Two Sides Searching
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps dispatched forces to the region, turning the search into a direct competition between American and Iranian teams. Iranian state media reported that a regional governor announced a financial reward for the crew's capture, with local merchants contributing the equivalent of $60,000 for anyone who could locate the Americans. Videos circulated online showing residents from the surrounding area forming search parties.
The US, meanwhile, was facing a problem. Neither side had pinpointed where exactly the airman was.
The Deception
Before launching a rescue, American intelligence moved to buy time and create confusion. The CIA leaked word through multiple channels inside Iran that US forces had already located the airman and were moving him out of the country via a maritime exfiltration route, a deliberate misdirection intended to draw Iranian search teams away from the mountains, the Associated Press reported, citing sources.
While Iranian forces were focused elsewhere, the CIA used what officials described as "unique, exquisite capabilities" to search for and locate the airman. He was found inside a mountain crevice. CIA Director John Ratcliffe later described the search as "hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert," calling it "a race against the clock."
The agency passed his precise coordinates to the Pentagon and the White House, and the rescue mission was authorised.
The Extraction
More than 150 aircraft took part in the operation. A specialised commando unit carried out the ground rescue under significant air cover, with US jets conducting strikes to hold back Iranian forces approaching the area.
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The mission ran into complications. Two MC-130J transport aircraft waiting nearby suffered a mechanical malfunction, forcing US forces to destroy them along with four helicopters before withdrawing. Iran's state television, reportedly, later broadcast footage of what it said was wreckage from US aircraft, which US officials confirmed were destroyed by American forces themselves due to the malfunction.
The Result
Roughly 50 hours after the initial shootdown, both crew members were back in friendly territory. As per reports, it was the first time a US fighter jet had been shot down in combat in over 20 years.
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