On Monday (April 6), United States President Trump held a press conference at the White House to address the daring rescue mission of American forces deep behind enemy lines in Iran over the past weekend. He described it as one of the largest, most complex, and most thrilling combat search and rescue operations in history, and he was there to celebrate the successful completion of this mission.
“This is a historic rescue operation that will be recorded in the annals of history,” Trump said.
Accompanying the president at the press conference in the White House briefing room were Defense Secretary Haggis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Kane, and US Special Envoy Whitkoff.
Trump explained that an F-15E fighter jet was shot down on Thursday night during the “Operation Wrath of Epic” deep in enemy territory, with two crew members ejecting and landing in Iran.
The President stated that the decision to rescue these two pilots was made because “in the US military, we never leave behind any living American.”
Trump detailed the heart-pounding search and rescue mission carried out by the US military in Iran. He highlighted the precision, firepower, and strength displayed by the forces in engaging the enemy in the real war zone, rescuing the trapped officers, neutralizing all threats, evacuating from Iranian territory, all without any casualties.
The President mentioned that the US successfully foiled and misled Iran in capturing the F-15E weapons systems officer in a “large-scale military operation.”
He disclosed that over 150 American aircraft were involved in the rescue operation, with many planes serving to distract Iranian attention.
After the F-15E fighter jet was shot down, Trump stated that 21 military aircraft were immediately deployed. In the first wave of the search operation after the jet crash, an HH-60W “Happy Green Giant II” helicopter found the pilot and rescued him.
Meanwhile, the weapons systems officer of the F-15E landed “quite a distance” away from the pilot and climbed to a higher elevation in the mountainous terrain.
The President commended this brave individual who evaded capture on the Iranian ground for nearly 48 hours. He emphasized the endurance and courage required during that challenging period of survival.
Moving on to the press conference, Defense Secretary Haggis lauded the actions of the US military and highlighted their resilience despite facing artillery fire from the Iranian side during the rescue operation in extremely harsh conditions.
Haggis mentioned that when the officer was able to activate the emergency beacon, the message he transmitted was, “God is merciful.”
He described the initial mission to rescue the F-15E crew members as “bold” and swiftly authorized for execution late at night.
Haggis emphasized that the mission to rescue the pilot never ceased from the moment of the crash, with continuous communication, meetings, and planning.
Regarding the ongoing airstrikes on Iran, Haggis noted that Monday saw the highest number of airstrikes since the operation began.
He urged Iran to make a careful choice as the US President is not to be trifled with, demonstrating the repercussions of attempting to harm American personnel.
Once the two pilots were successfully rescued, Haggis stated that the Iranian military felt embarrassed and humiliated, deserving the consequences of their hostile actions.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe detailed the agency’s crucial role in the operation to rescue the weapons systems officer. He labeled it as a “flawless mission.”
Ratcliffe mentioned that the CIA deployed manpower and technology to tackle this challenging task, comparing it to a daunting challenge even more significant than finding a grain of sand in the desert.
The CIA initiated a deception operation to mislead the Iranians searching for the officer. On Saturday morning, the CIA located the weapons systems officer hiding in a mountain crevice, ensuring his survival.
Ratcliffe stressed that while the officer remained invisible to the enemy, he was not hidden from the CIA’s surveillance efforts.
After the successful rescue of the weapons systems officer on Saturday night, Ratcliffe revealed that intelligence indicated Iran felt utterly humiliated by the US military’s bold rescue operation, facing a significant loss of face.