SRINAGAR: A crew member from a downed US F-15 fighter jet in Iran has been rescued alive following a high-risk search and rescue mission carried out amid intense fighting.
Confirming the operation, US President Donald Trump said the military deployed dozens of heavily armed aircraft to retrieve the airman. He described the mission as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history.”
Separately, former US Special Forces personnel and journalist Jack Murphy said the airman had been found alive after evading capture.
Good news for once.
F-15 WSO recovered alive. Was escaping and evading. Massive fire fight on tgt. Iranians were actively looking for him in the area.
— Jack Murphy (@JackMurphyRGR) April 4, 2026
In a post on X, he stated that a “massive firefight” took place as Iranian forces were actively searching for the crew member in the area.
According to CNN, both US and Iranian forces were conducting search operations in the mountainous regions of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province and the Bakhtiari area. During these efforts, Iranian tribesmen reportedly opened fire on US helicopters.
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that local tribal fighters targeted two US Black Hawk helicopters in the region. Following the confrontation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps praised the tribal fighters, describing them as “courageous” and “valiant,” CNN reported.
Footage circulated by Iranian state-linked outlets allegedly showed armed Bakhtiari tribesmen searching mountainous terrain in Khuzestan province for the missing airman. Authorities in Iran had also announced financial rewards for information leading to his capture, according to multiple media reports.
The incident follows the downing of two US warplanes, including an F-15E Strike Eagle, marking a significant escalation in the conflict, according to Associated Press. One crew member was rescued earlier, while the second had initially been reported missing.
In a communication cited by AP, the Pentagon confirmed receiving reports of an aircraft being shot down in the Middle East and informed the US House Armed Services Committee that the status of one service member was unknown at the time.
President Trump declined to specify a response if the pilot had been harmed or captured, telling The Independent that he hoped such a situation would not arise.
Meanwhile, the IRGC claimed it had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in Isfahan, according to Fars News Agency.
The search operation had drawn widespread attention, with Iran urging civilians to locate and hand over the “enemy pilot,” while US forces deployed aircraft and helicopters to scan the rugged terrain, AP reported.
The developments come amid escalating tensions in West Asia, now in its sixth week. President Trump warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, cautioning that time was running out, while Iranian officials, including Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, warned of severe consequences if Iranian infrastructure is targeted, according to AP.
