President Donald Trump is calling the rescue of the second airman from the downed F-15E in Iran on Saturday an “Easter miracle.”
Trump commented on the U.S. special operations forces’ rescue, which officials said was a high-risk combat search-and-rescue mission, in a text message to NBC News.
“The rescue was an Easter Miracle. The enemy was large and violent. The rescuers were brilliant, strong, decisive, and as cool as anyone can be,” Trump said, according to NBC News Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker.
“The Iranians thought they had him, but it wasn’t even close, and remember, we got two, but couldn’t talk about the first in that it would have highlighted that there was a second,” he added.
The president called it a first-of-its-kind rescue.
“Such a rescue has never happened before in so violent an enemy territory. It is usually not done because it is considered not doable. Such a great military — Like no other. Happy Easter! President DJT,” he concluded in his message.
The pilot of the F-15E was rescued shortly after it was downed by Iranian forces Thursday night, but the location of the weapons system officer (WSO) was not determined by U.S. personnel until Saturday.
The recue unfolded as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to locate the WSO.
As Breitbart News noted, citing reports:
U.S. air assets conducted strikes to prevent Iranian forces from closing in, while special operations units on the ground executed a layered extraction under fire.
The weapons systems officer had evaded capture after ejecting alongside the pilot, using Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training to move away from the wreckage and take cover on elevated terrain while activating an emergency beacon, according to reporting cited by Fox News.
There was fighting on the ground during the mission, though no U.S. personnel were killed, according to sources familiar with the operation.
As Trump said Sunday morning in a Truth Social post:
We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran. The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close. He is a highly respected Colonel. This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to “man and equipment.” It just doesn’t happen! The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all! I will be having a News Conference, with the Military, at the Oval Office, on Monday, at 1:00 P.M. God Bless our great MILITARY WARRIORS! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Soon after, Trump emphasized that Iran is running out of time to open the Hormuz Strait before he unleashes destruction on Iranian infrastructure such as energy plants and bridges.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” he wrote.
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