American Special Forces Execute Daring Rescue of Stranded Pilot Deep Within Iranian Territory

According to US news outlets, American commandos ventured deep into Iranian territory on a mission to rescue a downed airman, with the operation unfolding just hours after President Donald Trump announced the crew member's safe recovery on Sunday.

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The news came on the heels of Tehran's claim that it had shot down an F-15 warplane, marking the first US fighter jet to be downed inside Iran since the start of the war, although Washington has yet to confirm the details surrounding the incident.

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President Trump took to social media early Sunday to reveal that the US military had successfully executed a daring Search and Rescue Operation, rescuing one of its crew members, a highly respected Colonel, who is now "SAFE and SOUND".

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In a follow-up post, Trump praised the rescue mission, as well as another operation to retrieve a pilot, describing them as "an AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!".

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Trump also announced that he would be holding a News Conference with the Military at the Oval Office on Monday at 1:00 P.M. (1700 GMT).

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Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos were tasked with extracting the airman, while US attack aircraft provided cover by dropping bombs and opening fire on Iranian convoys to keep them at bay, according to The New York Times, which cited an unidentified official.

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Despite being wounded, the airman, a weapon systems officer, was able to evade capture for over a day by walking in the mountains, and was equipped with a pistol, a beacon, and a secure communications device to coordinate with rescuers.

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American commandos fired their weapons to keep Iranian forces away from the rescue site, and the airman was eventually extracted, with Trump later revealing that he had directed the US military to send "dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve" the downed crew member.

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Trump noted that the airman had sustained injuries, but would be "just fine", although a subsequent post described the airman as having been "seriously wounded", without providing further details.

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The rescue operation was complex, with two planes meant to transport the airman and his rescuers to safety becoming stuck in a remote base in Iran and having to be destroyed to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.

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US forces ultimately used three other transport planes to carry the airman and his rescuers out of Iran, with the Iranian military claiming on Sunday that the US operation had utilized an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province.

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Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Iranian military's central command, stated that two US "C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed" during the operation.

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The CIA reportedly launched a deception campaign to spread false information inside Iran, claiming that US forces were moving the airman out of the country on the ground, in an effort to conceal the true nature of the rescue operation.

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President Trump also confirmed the "successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday", adding that the news was not disclosed earlier to avoid jeopardizing the second rescue mission, and noting that this marked the first time in military memory that two US Pilots had been rescued separately in enemy territory.

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Trump emphasized that both operations were concluded "without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded", and the Pentagon has since directed inquiries to the President's social media post announcing the rescue.