【Iran Crisis】Trump Discloses Rescue Details: The Escape Was So Hair-raising It Could Be a Hollywood Movie—The Leaker Revealed to Iran That There Was a Second Pilot

U.S. President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and General Raisin Kane held a press conference at the White House early Tuesday morning Hong Kong time to explain what happened during the Iran rescue of two aviators. Trump said, “This is the toughest attempt by the U.S. military in history—this is a historic rescue that will go down in history.”

Not everyone in the military agreed to the rescue

However, Trump said not everyone in the military agreed with the rescue mission. “Some very professional military personnel did not advise doing this, because it could get hundreds of people killed, so there are people in the military who say this is not a wise decision.”

In addition, Trump said that during the rescue operation, there was an hour when nothing was discussed about the first rescue, and then someone leaked some information. “The leaker leaked that we rescued one person, but there was another person still out there that we were trying to rescue,” hoping to find that leaker.

Investigating the leaker

“Someone leaked information that someone was missing. They didn’t even know someone was missing until this leaker provided the information. So, whoever did it, we believe we can find out, because we’re going to go after the media company that published that information. We’re going to say, ‘For national security, turn the person in, otherwise you’re going to jail.’ We know who we’re talking about. Because there are things you can’t do. When they did this, suddenly the entire Iran knew that on their soil, there was a pilot fighting for survival. This made the pilot’s situation even more difficult, and it made the people going in to search and rescue even more difficult.”

So, Iran issued a major announcement offering a huge reward for anyone who captured that pilot. Therefore, besides facing one military force, there were also millions of people trying to get that bounty.

Trump said that to find out the truth is a matter of national security. And the person who reported this story—if they don’t disclose their source—they will go to jail.

Shoulder-fired heat-tracking missile hits an F-15

Trump said that late Thursday night, a U.S. F-15 fighter jet, while participating in Operation Epic Fury, crashed deep inside Iran. A shoulder-fired heat-tracking missile hit the aircraft. Both crew members ejected and survived on Iranian soil.

Trump said he immediately ordered the U.S. Armed Forces to take every necessary measure to bring the brave warriors home. “This was a risky decision. Because we might lose 100 people because of this, not 1 or 2. This is a difficult decision. But in the U.S. military, we do not leave any Americans behind. We absolutely do not do that.”

First mission: a 7-hour search and rescue operation during daytime firefight

Hegseth said the first mission was a bold thunderous strike in broad daylight, striking at the heart of the matter. In knowing that the pilots’ location was not more than two hours away, authorization was obtained at midnight.

As for the second mission, Hegseth said that when we knew the pilots’ location, we executed it immediately as well. During the execution of the final mission, inside the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), there was an ongoing video teleconference (VTC). At the top of the screen it said 45 hours and 56 minutes—throughout that time the line was kept open to coordinate.

Trump said that within the first few hours of the first mission, the U.S. Armed Forces deployed 21 military aircraft into hostile airspace. Many aircraft flew at extremely low altitudes and were fired upon with bullets. “When you fly that low, a rifle can pose a threat to you. But flying low also has certain advantages.” During the 7-hour daylight period, they sometimes faced extremely heavy enemy fire. One helicopter was hit by a very large number of bullets.

Trump said the first wave of search and rescue forces successfully found the F-15 pilot. A HH-60 “Jolly Green II” helicopter extracted him from the enemy-occupied area. At very close range it faced intense gunfire. “What’s surprising is that when you see the level of damage to the machine, somehow no one was injured.”

General Kane added that at 10:10 p.m. Eastern Time, which was 4:40 a.m. local Iran time, the Joint Personnel Recovery Center responsible for the area of operations of U.S. Central Command announced that a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter (call sign: Dude 44) crashed over hostile territory in Iran and triggered an Isolated Personnel Recovery Event.

Kane said that soon after, a U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue task force was dispatched. The task force included A-10 “Warthogs” aircraft playing the “Sandy” role, the HC-130 “Combat King II” recovery aircraft, the HH-60 “Jolly Green II” helicopters, and a U.S. Air Force special tactics unit composed of combat rescue officers and airborne rescue troops. Under the cover of daylight, they pushed deep into enemy territory. Their objective was to find, stabilize, and rescue Dude 44 Alpha behind enemy lines.

The rescue task force crossed the coastline and entered Iranian airspace. Under the protection of the fighter attack formations, they entered the target area amid enemy fire. Along the way, a helicopter was refueled in the air from a C-130 and continued forward into the target area.

All the while, flying ahead of them were the A-10 Sandy aircraft, other unmanned drones, and tactical aircraft. In close-range firefights, these aircraft aggressively suppressed and engaged the enemy to keep them away from the front-line pilots and to allow the rescue force to enter the target area.

After being hit, the A-10 Sandy aircraft continued the mission until ejection

During this firefight, one of the Sandy aircraft (primarily responsible for communicating with the downed pilot) was hit by enemy fire. The pilot kept fighting, kept executing the mission. Then during withdrawal, he flew the aircraft to another country and determined that it could not land safely. It was an A-10 Sandy aircraft. The pilot then decided to eject over friendly territory and was quickly and safely rescued. He is currently in good condition.

After rescuing Dude 44 Alpha, the HH-60 “Jolly Green” helicopter units were attacked by all Iranian men carrying light weapons. One of the aircraft—the trailing aircraft—was hit multiple times. The crew members suffered minor injuries, but they will be fine.

Sandy was named as a flight call sign based on the first time such missions were carried out during the Vietnam War, when it was done by A-1 attack aircraft and A-7 Corsair II attack aircraft. Sandy had only one mission: find the survivors, guide the rescue force forward, and place himself between the survivors on the ground and the enemy. They are committed to this mission. This is the purpose of their existence, and this is the goal they have trained for over many years. The A-10 unit and the rescue force performed outstandingly during the process of rescuing Dude 44 Alpha, and he was rescued on Friday afternoon.

Second mission: about 50 hours

Trump said the second crew member was a colonel and weapons systems officer (WSO). When flying at that speed, landing at a fairly distant place meant “even if you’re delayed by two or three seconds in ejection, the distance would be several miles—extremely far apart—because you’re flying that fast.” He was seriously injured and was heavily surrounded by militia and Iranian authorities. The Iranian authorities told communities and people inside the country that once they found that pilot, they would receive a huge reward.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that during the search for the pilot, they carried out a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians who were desperately searching for our pilot. He said that on Saturday morning, they found and confirmed the pilot was still alive and was hidden in a crevice in a mountainous area, but the enemy still could not detect him—yet the CIA had already found him. This confirmed information was relayed by Hegseth to Trump, and the search and rescue operation quickly moved into execution.

Trump said that this battle-tested officer, after being wounded, climbed into the treacherous mountainous terrain. While climbing steep cliffs and rocky faces, he bled a lot and treated his wounds himself. “To avoid being pursued, you have to get as far away from the crash site as possible. The farther you want to go, the better, because they’re all going to converge on that location.”

He contacted U.S. forces and sent his location. They carried with them a very precise device similar to a pager. “When they execute these missions, they ensure the equipment has enough battery and is in good condition. And this time it made a huge difference—magically saved his life.”

He kept climbing upward. The terrain became increasingly dangerous. It was really very hard to find. The U.S. military immediately launched a large-scale operation. After evading pursuit for nearly 48 hours, they rescued him from his mountaintop position. “When you’re in a dangerous situation and you’re constantly bleeding, it’s a very long time.”

Only after the climb did communications start

Hegseth said that after the pilot evaded pursuit for more than a day and climbed a rugged mountain ridge, when he finally was able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple but powerful: “God is good.”

Hegseth said, “In that kind of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shine with brilliance. He was shot down on Friday (Good Friday). Then all of Saturday he hid in a cave and in crevices, and then he was rescued on Sunday. When the sun rose on Easter Sunday, he flew out of Iran. A reborn pilot. Everyone is safe at home, and he has been found—one nation rejoices: God is good.”

Trump said that the second rescue mission deployed 155 aircraft, including 4 bombers, 64 fighters, 48 air refuelers, 13 rescue aircraft, and more—assembled from all directions. A large portion of them was intended to create a diversion.

Spreading false reports across 7 locations

“We wanted them to think he was in another place, because they had a massive force deployed there—thousands and thousands of people searching. So we wanted them to search in different areas. We spread false intelligence all over them from above. We set up seven different locations to make them think he was there. They were very confused. They said, ‘Wait, there’s a team here, and there’s also a team there.’ It was very amazing.”

“They set up all these different locations to make everyone think he was right there. There were nine aircraft orbiting over a small area—that was about 25 miles off the coast. This was an astonishing display of skill, precision, lethality, and force. The U.S. military descended on the area—on the real area—fought the enemy, rescued the trapped officer, destroyed all threats, and then withdrew from Iranian territory, with no personnel casualties.”

“Something moving 40 miles away”

Trump said Ratcliffe reported at the time, “Call the people we have out there—they’re right there. He’s 40 miles from us. We can see something on the mountain moving.” It was nighttime, and then they pointed the cameras at him for 45 minutes. He didn’t move. They said, “This might not be right.” But we saw what was moving. It was a huge mountain. There were shrubs and trees growing all over it. We saw something moving 40 miles away.” Ratcliffe added that “it was a person’s head. He was moving. And then suddenly, after 45 minutes, he moved a lot. He stood up. They said, ‘We found him.’ It was truly incredible. We originally had some concept of where he might be, but not very specifically. It was a big mountain. So I have to thank the CIA. I don’t think they got enough credit.”

No runway, farm landing for aircraft

The U.S. military sent two large, very old aircraft loaded with lots of supplies. Because when going in, they needed more equipment than when coming out, it had to be able to climb mountains. But the sand there was wet and soft. When taking off, the aircraft might have issues due to their weight. And with all personnel jumping back onto the aircraft, the aircraft sank quite deeply.

So they activated the contingency plan: send lighter, faster aircraft to land on the sand and take them away, and also destroyed the old aircraft. “We blew them to pieces. Because although there was some equipment on the aircraft that we wanted to take, I don’t think it was worth spending another 4 hours unloading it, nor did I want anyone to inspect our air defense equipment and other equipment.” Therefore, they destroyed these very old large aircraft.

Race against time: reloading three helicopters in 10 minutes

In 10 minutes, the U.S. military unloaded the helicopters from the aircraft, removed the rotor blades, and reloaded those three helicopters. They were very small, but extremely powerful. Because they were small, they could get into certain specific areas.

“A contingency plan with three aircraft was standing by, because originally it was thought the sand was too soft and the aircraft might not be able to take off. As it turned out, the aircraft actually got stuck. There wasn’t a runway there—it was a farm. Even though it was a farm, it worked.”

“If you were filming a movie about finding filming locations, this would be ‘Central Casting.’ And we were sitting in the most dangerous area in Iran. So these aircraft flew in, the pilots flew very fast, and everyone boarded the aircraft with only 15 minutes between each departure. One was loaded, took off; the next was loaded, took off; the third was loaded, took off. We kept watching. We said, this is unbelievable. In many ways, I was more impressed by the contingency plans we had than by what would happen if we had runways or solid ground. It was an amazing thing.”

“We stayed up very late that night, and then we waited for those backup aircraft to fly in. We said, ‘Come on, get in there.’ Because they were waiting at a farm without a runway, and everywhere was wet mud and sand—it would literally swallow the aircraft alive. While we waited, we said, ‘Hope that aircraft lands and takes off.’ They came in like magic—boom, boom, boom—one after another. I was very impressed.”

“We were worried, ‘Oh my God, if they can’t get in and can’t take off quickly, then we’re at a disadvantage.’ That’s what’s called the ‘Iran Prime time.’”

“As if it were like Maduro—when we entered a huge military base with tens of thousands of soldiers, within just a few minutes, he was trapped behind an iron door. They quickly destroyed those iron doors. In less than a few minutes, he was brought up and onto the back seats of those aircraft. It was a similar kind of operation.”

“If we have to, we’ll bring them home safely at any cost. We will certainly bring our people home safely.”

Kane added that during several hours in the daytime, the rear-seat weapons systems officer (Dude 44 Bravo) used every possible method to evade pursuit. The U.S. military, the CIA, and other agencies worked hard to precisely locate Dude 44 Bravo. During this time, the enemy continued searching for 44 Bravo. The joint forces continued to strike at them again and again.

While dealing with Iran’s harsh weather and enemy manhunts, on Saturday, based on the Central Command commander’s advice and with approval from the Secretary of Defense and the President, a rescue task force was launched to rescue Dude 44 Bravo.

This mission also required approval from the President and the Secretary of Defense. But this time a much larger force was deployed, determined by the amount of time the enemy had prepared to look for 44 Bravo.

This force was also protected by A-10 Warthog aircraft (using the Sandy call sign), and the task force had only one mission: to do everything possible to bring the Americans home.

After night on Saturday through early Sunday morning, the force fought all the way through and successfully rescued Dude 44 Bravo. With the cover of powerful airpower—which included tactical unmanned drones, attack aircraft, and so on—at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, more than 50 hours after the start of the operation, the Joint Personnel Recovery Center announced that Dude 44 Bravo (both front and back crew members) had returned to friendly territory.

$1 and below: Monday’s news====

F-15E pilot’s daring rescue details revealed: distress message “God is good” was even questioned; CIA “deception scheme”; enemy country sets up a temporary base

The search-and-rescue operation for the two pilots of the U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle has been called an Easter miracle. But within the U.S. military’s operational system, getting rescued is not “just luck”—it is a tightly organized and extremely costly, systematic engineering process. This system is called Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR).

When a U.S. pilot’s aircraft goes down behind enemy lines, the entire U.S. military machine activates immediately. The rescue process usually consists of the following core steps:

1. The moment of the crash: automated alerts and survival

• Ejection and location: When the pilot ejects, the Beacon on the seat automatically activates, sending encrypted location coordinates and identification codes to satellites and warning aircraft.
• SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape): This is mandatory training for pilots. After landing, their first priority is to hide. They use the terrain they observe during parachute descent to quickly move away from the crash site (the enemy will search there immediately), find water sources, and dig out hiding spots.

2. Contact and identity verification

• Encrypted communications: Pilots carry survival radios with frequency-hopping capabilities (such as AN/PRC-112 or higher models) to connect with command aircraft in the air or with fellow pilots.
• Identity verification: To prevent the enemy from setting a trap, the rescue center asks pilots extremely personal questions (for example, the name of your high school physical education teacher, the model of your first car). These answers are recorded in the pilot’s classified file in advance. If they get even one word wrong, the rescue operation will not be activated.

3. Forming a “rescue task force” (CSARTF)

The U.S. military will not just send a single aircraft. A typical rescue mission usually includes:

• HH-60W “Jolly Green” helicopters: The core rescue platform, responsible for extracting the pilot.
• HC-130J transport aircraft: Responsible for refueling the helicopters in the air to extend their range, and also serves as on-scene command.
• A-10 attack aircraft or F-15E: Responsible for “suppressing enemy air defenses” (SEAD), conducting carpet-style strikes on any threatened targets in the surrounding area when the helicopters land.
• Electronic warfare aircraft: To conduct jamming and make the enemy’s radar go blind.

4. Key operators: pararescuemen (PJs)

This group is a very special unit within U.S. special operations forces, nicknamed “PJs.”

• They are combat-capable advanced medics.
• They enter the scene by helicopter rappelling or parachuting; their first task is to check whether the pilot is injured and then drag him onto the helicopter.
• If landing is not possible on site, they use cable and a hook system to pull the pilot onto the aircraft.

Establishing a temporary base inside Iran

There were two crew members aboard the F-15 fighter shot down by the U.S. last Friday; both ejected and survived. One of them had previously been rescued by the U.S. forces. Trump said that this pilot’s rescue speed was much faster—conducted during the daytime and under Iran’s intense artillery fire. Trump added that he confirmed the other person’s safety only on Sunday morning. Iranian officials said the fighter was shot down by their air defense system.

In Washington, Trump spent last Friday moving back and forth between the Oval Office and its adjacent dining rooms at the White House, because the operation to search for the downed Air Force personnel in Iran was getting ready and he was ready to receive the latest updates on the mission to find that officer.

For the rescue of the second pilot, Trump described it as a “bold” U.S. rescue operation that successfully brought back a “seriously wounded” Air Force personnel, seen as a model of U.S. success. Trump immediately posted a message saying, “We found him!” and described in detail the “astonishing display of courage and talent,” turning potential U.S. setbacks into strength.

Another U.S. Defense Department official described the first action on Friday as a daytime “bold and quick snatch,” while the second action was carried out at night after establishing a temporary base inside Iran. “The two crew members were separated by several miles. There were hundreds of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soldiers everywhere.”

Trump said the pilot was then in a treacherous mountainous area in Iran and was being pursued by the enemy. The enemy was closing in every hour. But he was never truly isolated without support, because the commander in chief, the Secretary of War, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and comrades were monitoring his location 24 hours a day and actively planning his rescue.

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200 special operations soldiers participated in the operation

In an interview with foreign media, Trump said about 200 special operations soldiers took part in the operation. The Iranian military “got lucky”—and they used shoulder-fired missiles to bring down the F-15.

More details about the rescue are gradually being revealed, including how the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) shifted the enemy’s attention through a “deception operation.”

According to combined reports from foreign media, the crew member spent more than 24 hours alone. At one point, he climbed over rugged terrain to a mountain ridge at an altitude of 7,000 feet, with almost nothing on him besides a pistol, communication equipment, and a tracking beacon. The crew members of the downed aircraft had been highly trained for this kind of situation. Their first priority was to survive and avoid capture. Their training was that—assuming their physical condition allowed and they were not injured to the point of being unable to move—they should move away from the ejection location as quickly as possible, and hide themselves to ensure safety.

CIA “deception scheme”

The CIA spread information in Iran through multiple channels, saying that the U.S. military had already found the second Air Force personnel who had ejected from the F-15, and was evacuating him by sea to take him out of Iran. In reality, this was to buy time in order to locate the trapped weapons systems officer (WSO—the second pilot in the back seat of the fighter).

According to people familiar with the matter, the CIA intercepted a distress signal and passed the intelligence to the Pentagon and the White House, and the White House immediately ordered the rescue mission to begin right away. The sources said that initially there was concern that this “beacon signal” was a “trap” set by Iran.

Trump said that after the weapons systems officer ejected, he sent a short and unusual message over the radio: “Power be to God.” Another account said the exact wording was “God is good.”

Trump said that what he said on the radio sounded like what a Muslim would say. Trump added that people familiar with the officer explained that he was a devout person, so it was reasonable for him to say that.

After the CIA confirmed early Saturday that it was not a trap, it used advanced technical capabilities to pinpoint the location of the missing Air Force personnel. CIA Director John Ratcliffe informed Secretary of War Hegseth (Pete Hegseth), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Kane, and ultimately reported it to Trump.

Within 12 hours, the crew members had landed in Iran

Sources said, “In 8 hours, our planes were already launched. In nearly 12 hours, our people had already landed in Iran. We have seen how they treat prisoners of war before. We will do everything possible to ensure we find them first.”

Trump said the U.S. sent dozens of aircraft into Iran and claimed the operation was carried out without any U.S. personnel casualties.

MQ-9 drone provides defense

			▲ MQ-9 Reaper

A U.S. special operations team infiltrated inside the mountains. Accompanied by U.S. military aircraft dropping bombs to clear the area, the U.S. deployed MQ-9 Reaper drones to protect the area around where the Air Force personnel were hiding, and opened fire on any targets approaching that area and the U.S. operation zone, to prevent crowds or any Iranian military and civilians from getting close. Trump watched everything in the Situation Room.

A senior U.S. official said, “We used every kind of tactical aircraft and B-1 bomber available in the U.S. inventory. We conducted multiple large-scale strikes in the surrounding areas to ensure his safety.”

The Air Force units executing CSAR missions include the most highly trained and most professional personnel in the military. These missions are usually carried out by helicopters, flying at low altitude over enemy territory while other military aircraft in the area conduct strikes and patrol.

Iran hangs a bounty; thousands pursue

Trump said at the time, “Thousands of savages were chasing him—so much so that even civilians were looking for him. They even offered a bounty for whoever could capture him.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that nomadic tribes living in the country’s mountainous regions fired upon two Black Hawk helicopters participating in the U.S. rescue mission.

Iranian media said Iran successfully shot down (or destroyed) several U.S. aircraft, including a C-130 military transport aircraft (some reports said it was the special operations model MC-130J “Commando II”), and at least two helicopters (identified as Black Hawk helicopters or MH-6 Little Bird helicopters).

Mechanical failure during evacuation; dispatch new aircraft to rescue

The operation had multiple setbacks, including two damaged U.S. special operations aircraft. The U.S. had to destroy them on the ground in Iran during the operation. According to CNN, in a remote makeshift airstrip in Iran, two MC-130J special operations transport aircraft had been waiting to take the assault team and the rescued Air Force personnel away from the country. But at some point during the operation, they were damaged. The military decided to send new aircraft and destroy the damaged aircraft rather than risk letting them fall into Iranian hands.

Trump said that during the search and rescue of these two crew members, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) provided the U.S. with “a little bit” of help. “They’ve been very good partners. They are great and brave people. We’re like big brothers and little brothers.” And a U.S. Defense Department official said that Israel did not provide any information about the location of that weapons systems officer, but did share intelligence about the overall situation in the area. Israeli officials said the Israel Air Force carried out an airstrike to prevent Iranian forces from approaching the area.

Reports said that Israel’s intelligence helped the CIA determine the location of the missing weapons systems officer, ruled out concerns that Iran’s “trap” was involved, and also stopped attacks by that country in the area to assist the mission. Another Israeli official said Israel delayed some of its planned strikes against Iran to avoid interfering with the search and rescue effort; according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter, Israel also provided intelligence support.

In a statement Sunday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote: “All Israelis are glad for the fearless American fighters, the incredible rescue of a brave American pilot.”