Information conflict between the US and Iran regarding the rescue operation of the F-15E fighter pilot.
While Iran claims to have thwarted the enemy's efforts and shot down more rescue planes, President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. military had just successfully carried out one of the "bravest rescue operations in history."
According to RIA Novosti on April 5th, the US military mission to rescue the F-15E fighter pilot shot down by Iranian forces ended in complete failure. This was the official statement from Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a representative of Iran's Central Military Command "Khatam al-Anbiya".
Speaking to IRIB news agency, Zolfaghari said: "All enemy attempts to rescue the pilot of the downed aircraft have failed. In the southern Isfahan province, enemy aircraft were hit, including two Black Hawk helicopters and one C-130 military transport plane. The wreckage of these aircraft is still burning."
The C-130 Hercules aircraft is known to be widely used by the US military for transporting equipment and personnel, and for deploying in special operations.
In stark contrast to Tehran's claims, according to AFP on April 5th, US President Donald Trump asserted that the US military had successfully rescued the second pilot of the F-15E shot down in Iran earlier in the week. According to Trump, this was one of the "bravest search and rescue operations in American history," involving dozens of support aircraft.
On the social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote: "This brave warrior was trapped behind enemy lines, in the rugged mountains of Iran, and relentlessly pursued by the enemy. He was wounded, but his condition will stabilize."
The White House chief further explained that the reason the US kept information about the rescue of the first pilot secret the previous day was to avoid jeopardizing the rescue operation for the second pilot.
According to NBC News, following Washington's declaration of a "total defeat" for Tehran on April 2nd, the Iranian military shot down numerous US aircraft within 48 hours, including an A-10 bomber and two Black Hawk helicopters.
Zolfaghari, a representative of Iran's Central Military Command "Khatam al-Anbiya," emphasized that Tehran achieved these results thanks to the deployment of new-generation air defense systems.
