American combat search and rescue forces charged deep into enemy Iranian territory and successfully pulled both crew members from a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle shot down during Operation Epic Fury.

The jet from the 494th Fighter Squadron took a hit from Iranian defenses while hammering regime targets. Both the pilot and weapons systems officer ejected into rugged southwestern mountains where Iranian forces and militias were hunting them down.

A first CSAR team grabbed one airman under heavy fire. A second team went back in, flying low in HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters supported by HC-130J tankers while dodging MANPADS and ground fire. A-10 Warthogs laid down suppressive fire to cover the extraction. Both Americans are now safe in Iraq and in good hands.

This marks the first confirmed U.S. manned aircraft loss over Iran in the fighting, even as CENTCOM had pushed back on earlier rumors of additional losses. Once again, American forces proved they never leave their own behind, no matter how deep behind enemy lines or how hot the ground fire gets.

Our warriors showed raw courage against a bloodthirsty regime that cheers every shot at Americans. The mullahs may brag about downing a Strike Eagle, but they failed to keep our airmen. U.S. rescue teams just walked right in and took them home.

Sources:
Defense analyst reports including Babak Taghvaee, open-source intelligence updates, CBS News, CNN, The New York Times, and Axios citing officials familiar with the operation.