US forces successfully carried out an operation to rescue their pilot whose F-15 fighter was shot down in Iran. US President Donald Trump announced this on Sunday, praising the two days of search efforts. However, the operation did not come without losses: the Iranian side claimed that its forces "foiled the rescue attempt" and destroyed three American aircraft in the Isfahan area.
Reports of losses are conflicting. According to US media citing official sources, the US forces themselves were forced to destroy two of their special-operations MC-130J aircraft that had become stuck on the ground at a temporary base in Iran. This was done to prevent advanced technology from falling into the hands of Iranian forces. Earlier, Reuters reported that two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search were damaged by Iranian fire but were able to leave the country’s airspace.
The incident continued events from last Friday, when Iran announced it had shot down a US F-15. One crew member was rescued at that time. Separately, on Saturday, a US A-10 Warthog attack aircraft crashed over Kuwait; the pilot ejected.
Full version: إنقاذ مكلف.. واشنطن تقول إنها فجرت طائراتها خلال إنقاذ الطيار