US Pilot rescued in daring mission amid heavy gunfire in Iran
A US F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran, and one crew member was rescued by US special forces in a high-risk operation. The pilot was rescued alive and is receiving medical treatment
Washington/Tehran (The Uttam Hindu): After 24 hours of uncertainty, the US has finally found the pilot who went missing after the F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft was shot down in Iran.
However, the rescue operation was nothing short of a movie scene. US Special Forces rescue teams faced heavy fire from Iranian soil to reach the pilot.
On Friday, Iran targeted a US plane flying over Kuwait, causing it to crash. One pilot ejected safely, while the other pilot was missing. It was feared the plane had crashed inside Iran.
Not only the US military was searching for the missing American pilot in the southwestern region of Iran, but Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) also cordoned off the entire area and launched a massive search operation.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a statement on the incident, calling it a "turning point" in the war. He said that the conflict, which once began with claims of "regime change," has now been reduced to "hunting American pilots" on the ground.