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2026-04-06 14:15:46
[US Rescue Operation in Iran Nearly Suffers "Catastrophic" Loss] A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle two-seat fighter jet was shot down over Isfahan province, Iran, on March 3. Two crew members ejected safely; one was rescued quickly, while the other was rescued two days later. According to foreign media reports on March 5, citing informed US officials, the US rescue operation in Iran encountered an "unexpected situation," narrowly avoiding "catastrophic" personnel losses. Reports indicate that approximately 100 US special forces soldiers entered Iran under cover of darkness on March 4 to carry out the rescue mission. They climbed a ridge and found their teammate, believed to be the weapons systems operator in the rear of the downed F-15E, holding the rank of colonel. The rescue team transferred the wounded soldier to an evacuation point before dawn on March 5. However, two MC-130 transport planes carrying out part of the personnel transport mission malfunctioned, experiencing mechanical failures and being unable to take off, putting the US personnel in danger. According to informed U.S. officials, in this critical moment, commanders decided to temporarily deploy additional military aircraft to Iran. These relatively small turboprop aircraft eventually brought the stranded personnel back in batches. Before withdrawing from Iran, the U.S. military destroyed four helicopters and two malfunctioning MC-130 aircraft to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. (Xinhua)
