The dramatic US mission to rescue a stranded airman deep inside Iran appears to have come at a high cost, with American forces reportedly destroying at least two of their own aircraft during the operation.
Two US Special Operations aircraft were blown up on the ground during the rescue of the second American aviator, US-based Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the mission.
The aircraft, identified as MC-130J in the WSJ report, are typically used for covert infiltration and the extraction of troops from hostile territory. While officials did not clarify how the planes became stranded or malfunctioned, the report said their destruction became “necessary” during the mission. Track US-Iran war live updates.
Reports in the New York Times and CBS News said the American forces had to destroy two of its “transport aircraft” to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.
At the same time, conflicting claims emerged from Iran. A spokesperson for Iran’s unified armed forces command reportedly said, “On-ground assessment shows that two C-130 planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were downed south of Isfahan.”
It was not immediately clear whether both sides were referring to the same aircraft losses.
Iran claims operation was ‘foiled’
While Trump hailed the operation as one of the most daring rescue missions carried out by the US military in recent times, Iranian officials maintained that the operation did not go as planned.
“The so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled,” said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Iranian military’s central command, referring to the alleged aircraft losses.
He further claimed that two US “C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed”.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, MB Ghalibaf, struck a similar tone, saying, “If the United States gets three more victories like this, it will be utterly ruined.”
Trump announces successful rescue.
Despite the reported losses, US President Donald Trump described the mission as a major success, announcing that the second crew member from a downed F-15E fighter jet had been rescued.
“One of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Providing some details, Trump said the officer had been stranded in dangerous terrain and pursued by hostile forces.
“At my direction, the US Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” he wrote.
Senior officials, including top military leadership, and secretary of war Pete Hegseth, monitored the situation continuously while planning the rescue, he said.
Massive covert effort behind the scenes
According to US officials cited by NYT, the rescued airman was a weapons systems officer, while the pilot of the two-seater F-15E had already been recsued.
The extraction of the colonel was carried out by US Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos as part of a large-scale operation involving hundreds of special operations personnel.
Reports suggest both crew members, the pilot and the weapons systems officer, made contact soon after ejecting. The pilot was rescued within hours, while the second officer remained stranded for almost two days.
Before locating the weapons officer, the CIA reportedly ran a deception campaign inside Iran, spreading information that US forces had already recovered the officer and were preparing a ground exit. At the same time, intelligence agencies used “specialised capabilities” to track his position.
Once his location was confirmed and shared with US military leadership and the White House, Trump authorised an immediate rescue mission.
The rescue unfolded amid a tense race, according to officials quoted by Axios, as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had deployed forces to intercept the operation.
