JERUSALEM, Israel – As President Trump’s deadline approaches for a ceasefire with Iran, U.S. officials revealed more details of the dramatic rescue of two U.S. servicemen who ejected from their downed aircraft.
Last Thursday night, the U.S. F-15E fighter jet went down inside Iran while on a mission as part of Operation Epic Fury.
In a press conference on Monday, the president revealed, “Both members of the crew ejected from the aircraft and landed alive on Iranian soil. I immediately was asked to make a decision. I ordered the US armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home, a risky decision, because we could have ended up with a hundred dead as opposed to one or two.”
C.I.A. Director John Ratcliffe said it was “comparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert.”
The rescue effort included 155 aircraft, dozens of soldiers on the ground, and a C.I.A. deception campaign.
Trump explained, “We were bringing them all over, and a lot of it was subterfuge. We wanted to have them think he was in a different location because they had a vast military force out there, thousands, thousands of people were looking. So we wanted them to look in different areas.”
He noted that the rescuers were in seven different locations, confusing the enemy.
“So in a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality and force, America’s military descended on the area – the real area – engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, destroyed all threats, and exited Iranian territory while taking no casualties of any kind,” Trump related. “When you go to these areas, you don’t come out like we came out. God was watching us.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the downed airman scaled rugged ridges while being hunted by the enemy and evaded capture for more than a day.
“Iran’s military is embarrassed and humiliated, and they should be, he declared.
Hegseth said of the airman, “When he was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple, and it was powerful. He sent a message, ‘God is good.'”
Hegseth drew a parallel between the airman’s journey and the Christian holiday weekend.
He observed, “In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shown through. You see, shot down on a Friday, Good Friday, hidden in a cave, a crevice all of Saturday, and rescued on Sunday. Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising, Easter Sunday. A pilot reborn all home and accounted for a nation rejoicing. God is good.”
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Meanwhile, as time is running out for a ceasefire agreement, Iran has rejected Trump’s 45-day ceasefire plan and says it wants a permanent end to the war without making any concessions.
Hegseth announced on Monday that it was the largest day of U.S. strikes to date in Iran, and Tuesday would be even more intensive.
The White House set a deadline of 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time to open the Strait of Hormuz.
“The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump warned.
In a social media post in Farsi, the Israel Defense Forces cautioned Iranians not to travel on trains until 9:00 p.m. Iranian Time on Tuesday, saying, “Your presence on trains or in close proximity to railroad tracks puts your lives at risk.”
The IDF also said it struck a second petrochemical compound in Shiraz and is working to dismantle its fire array and air defense systems, while Tehran continues to launch missiles at civilians in Israel.
