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A high-risk US rescue mission inside Iran to retrieve downed F-15 crew members has led to the deaths of four Iranian army officers, Tehran said, highlighting the intensifying conflict between the two sides.
Iran’s army said the officers were killed early Sunday in Isfahan province during an operation involving multiple US aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
According to Iranian military officials, the personnel engaged in direct combat with US forces before being killed in subsequent strikes. The dead included a brigadier general, a colonel, a lieutenant colonel and a first lieutenant.
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Rescue Mission For Downed F-15 Crew
The operation
was launched after a US F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory — the first such loss of a crewed American warplane in over five weeks of fighting.
US President Donald Trump said the jet was brought down by a shoulder-fired missile, forcing the two crew members to eject and land at separate locations inside Iran.
More than 170 US aircraft and around 200 troops were involved in the mission to recover the pilot and weapons systems officer, with support from intelligence agencies.
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Heavy Fire During Extraction
US forces dispatched multiple aircraft and helicopters to locate and extract the crew under hostile conditions.
According to US officials, rescue helicopters came under intense small-arms fire during the operation. One helicopter was hit, though the crew sustained only minor injuries.
The pilot was successfully recovered in the mission, which US military leadership described as a high-risk operation deep inside hostile territory.
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Iran’s Account Of Clashes
Iran claimed its forces engaged US aircraft during the mission, including firing a shoulder-launched missile at an American aircraft.
It said the unit involved in the engagement was later targeted by additional strikes, leading to the deaths of the four officers.
