Iran Reveals Details of U.S. Military Rescue Operation, Claims U.S. Action Was a "Complete Failure"

Xinhua News Agency, Tehran, April 5 - Iranian media reported on the 5th that the U.S. military's operation to rescue the pilot of a downed fighter jet in Iran was a "complete failure," with multiple U.S. aircraft shot down and several U.S. soldiers killed.

The Iranian Tasnim News Agency quoted a spokesperson from the Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, Hatem al-Anbiya, on the 5th, stating that further investigation by on-site experts revealed that a total of two "Black Hawk" helicopters and two C-130 transport planes were shot down during the U.S. operation.

The spokesperson said that the U.S. military attempted to "conduct a so-called rescue operation" at an abandoned airport located in southern Isfahan Province, but the operation ended in "complete failure" due to the timely intervention of the Iranian armed forces.

The Iranian Fars News Agency reported on the 5th, citing sources, that several U.S. soldiers were killed during the U.S. military's operation to rescue the fighter jet pilot. The sources also stated that the "enemy" attempted to destroy the wreckage of the downed aircraft and even destroy the bodies of the deceased U.S. soldiers.

Fars News Agency reported that during the U.S. military's search operation for the pilot in Isfahan Province and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, several U.S. drones and helicopters were destroyed. Local residents and sources confirmed that sounds of drones and helicopters flying overhead, as well as multiple explosions, were heard in the early morning hours.

An F-15E "Strike Eagle" twin-seat fighter jet of the U.S. Air Force was shot down over Iran on the 3rd, with both crew members ejecting to safety. U.S. President Trump stated on the 4th that the U.S. military had rescued two crew members through the rescue operation. He also claimed that there were no American casualties during the rescue operation.