Newly released footage purports to show the wreckage of US military aircraft left behind in Iran after a daring US rescue operation.
The footage, recorded by the state-run China Media Group (CMG) on Monday, appears to show the remains of the destroyed aircraft, which was reportedly involved in the rescue mission for a US airman, in the southern part of Iran’s Isfahan province.
The airman was one of two crew members on board a US F-15E fighter jet shot down over southern Iran during a combat mission on Friday. Both ejected and survived.
The jet’s pilot was rescued by special forces in a daylight raid on Friday, while the weapons system operator was rescued in an overnight operation on Saturday.
Reports coming out of Iran and the US have offered different accounts of the circumstances involving the destroyed aircraft reportedly shown in the footage.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the command of the Iranian armed forces, said on Sunday that four US military aircraft, including two C-130 Hercules military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters, were shot down during the US mission to rescue one of the airmen.
The aircraft were targeted during joint operations by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), army, voluntary Basij fighters and law enforcement in the south of central Isfahan Province, IRNA reported.
Iranian military sources said the US attempted a rescue operation at an abandoned airport in Isfahan, but Iranian forces intervened, leading to the “complete failure” of the US rescue mission, Reuters reported.
However, US sources said hundreds of US special forces entered Iran to rescue the airman overnight on Saturday, and the two C-130 transport planes broke down during the mission.
US forces then destroyed four helicopters and the two disabled planes to prevent them from being captured before withdrawing, the sources claimed, as per Reuters.
Airman’s three words as he ejected from downed jet
US President Donald Trump announced the second crew member has been rescued from inside Iran and had suffered serious injuries, in a post on social media on Sunday,
“We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close,” he continued.
“The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!
Before he ejected, the weapons expert shouted “God is good” over the radio, apparently reflecting his firm religious beliefs, the Axios news site reported, citing Mr Trump and US officials.
Although “seriously wounded” after his ejection, he could still walk, reportedly scaling a 2,100-metre ridge line in the mountains before hiding in a crevice, according to The New York Times and Axios.
The airman was equipped with a pistol, a beacon and a secure communications device to coordinate with rescuers, the Times reported.
US commandos converging on the officer fired their weapons to keep Iranian forces away from the rescue site, the newspaper said.
