The United States used a covert “deception campaign” led by the CIA to locate and rescue a missing F-15 crew member deep inside Iran, according to an NBC News report citing US officials.The second airman from the downed F-15E Strike Eagle was rescued safely after being trapped behind enemy lines since Friday, NBC News reported, citing two US officials. The pilot of the aircraft had already been recovered shortly after the jet was brought down.A senior Trump administration official told NBC News that the rescue was enabled by a carefully planned intelligence operation designed to mislead Iranian forces.“While the Iranians were confused and uncertain of what was happening, the Agency used its unique, exquisite capabilities to search for — and find — the American,” the official said. “This was the ultimate ‘needle in a haystack,’ but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA’s capabilities.”According to the report, the CIA relayed the airman’s location to the Department of Defense and the White House, prompting an immediate rescue mission backed by real-time intelligence inputs.President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue and said the airman had suffered injuries. “He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump said, describing him as a “highly respected Colonel.”Trump called the operation a major success. “The United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History,” he said, adding that he had ordered “dozens” of aircraft equipped with lethal weapons to take part in the mission.“The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies,” the president said.
What exactly happened in the deception campaign
According to NBC News, citing a senior administration official, the CIA initiated a deception campaign inside Iran to mislead local forces about the airman’s whereabouts.The agency spread information suggesting that US forces had already located the missing crew member and were moving him on the ground toward extraction. This created confusion among Iranian forces and diverted attention away from the actual search effort.“While the Iranians were confused and uncertain of what was happening, the Agency used its unique, exquisite capabilities to search for — and find — the American,” the official said.The official described the operation as “the ultimate ‘needle in a haystack,’” with the airman hidden in a mountainous crevice, making detection extremely difficult without advanced intelligence capabilities.Once the precise location was confirmed, the CIA immediately alerted US defence authorities, enabling a rapid and coordinated rescue mission.NBC News reported that US special operations forces had been searching for the second crew member, known as the weapons systems officer or “backseater,” since the aircraft was shot down.The incident marked a rare escalation, with Iran claiming responsibility for downing the F-15E using an advanced air defence system, according to Iranian media. Reports also indicated that local authorities had announced a financial reward for information leading to the capture of the crew.Iranian officials had earlier denied reports that the missing airman had been captured, calling such claims a “tactic of the enemy,” NBC News reported.During the rescue effort, a US A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft supporting the mission was also hit by Iranian fire but managed to reach Kuwaiti airspace, where the pilot ejected safely, according to US officials cited by NBC News.The downing of the F-15E is believed to be the first instance of a US aircraft being brought down inside Iran during the ongoing conflict, raising fresh questions over US control of Iranian airspace as military operations intensify, the report added.
