A US jet over the British Akrotiri air base in Cyprus. (symbol image) Image: keystone
The US fighter jet pilot who was shot down over Iran and has been missing since then has been recovered, according to the US government. What is known so far to save us.
04/05/2026, 07:30April 5, 2026, 7:35 a.m
That’s what happened
On Friday, two US jets were shot down over Iran. A crew member has been missing since then and US units have tried to rescue him. Now, according to President Donald Trump, the venture has been a success.
This is what is known about the rescue
According to the US government, dozens of fighter jets were used to rescue the army member. According to US information, the soldier is injured.
The Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera quoted a US official as saying that there was a “fierce firefight” during the nighttime rescue mission of the second crew member.
According to consistent media reports, the pilot of the fighter jet that was shot down on Friday had already been rescued.
That’s what Trump says
“We have him,” wrote Donald Trump in capital letters on his Truth Social platform. It was one of the most daring search and rescue operations by the US military in US history. He described the operation in dramatic words: The US soldier was “hunted by our enemies” and they were getting closer to him by the hour.
“But he was never really alone,” Trump continued. The military leadership would have monitored his location in the mountains “around the clock” and planned his rescue meticulously.
That’s what Iran says
Shortly before the rescue announcement, the Iranian regime announced on state news channels that the USA had begun bombing the search area around the crash site. It appeared to be trying to suggest that the US had given up on the fighter jet pilot – and was trying to kill him.
If Iran had found the crew member first, experts say Tehran could have used this as leverage. Iranian media had reported large sums of money that were said to have been promised for the capture of the US soldier.
+++ Update follows +++
(con/sda/dpa)