American commandos deployed deep into Iranian territory to rescue a downed airman, US news outlets reported on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that the crew member had been recovered "safe and sound."
Tehran said this week it had shot down an F-15 warplane , the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war. Washington has not confirmed the details of how the fighter went down.
Trump said early on Sunday that the US military had "pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!"
In a subsequent post, Trump described the rescue mission - as well as another operation to pick up the pilot - as "an AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!"
"I will be having a News Conference, with the Military, at the Oval Office, on Monday, at 1:00 P.M. (1700 GMT)," he added.
Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos were tasked with extracting the airman, while US attack aircraft dropped bombs and opened fire on Iranian convoys to keep them away, The New York Times reported, citing an unidentified official.
Though "seriously wounded," according to Trump, the airman, a weapon systems officer, could still walk, evading capture in the mountains for more than a day, according to news outlet Axios , which cited a US official.
The unidentified airman was equipped with a pistol, a beacon and a secure communications device to coordinate with rescuers, The New York Times reported.
Israel also provided intelligence assistance to the United States during an operation to rescue a stranded U.S. airman in Iran and halted its attacks in the area to facilitate the mission, an Israeli security official said.
In a twist to the event, Iran's military said on Sunday that the US operation to rescue an airman from a downed American fighter jet had been "completely foiled", without suggesting he had been captured.
"The so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled," said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the military's central command, Khatam Al-Anbiya .
In a video statement carried by state television, he said that "two C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed" during the operation.
He added that Trump went ahead with "empty rhetoric and diversion although the reality on the ground demonstrates the superior position of Iran's powerful armed forces."
State media shared images of charred wreckage scattered across a desert area, with smoke still rising from the site.
Iranian media reported that strikes during the rescue operation killed five people in the southwest, although it was not immediately clear whether they were civilians or military.
Since Friday, Iranian media has also shared footage showing local residents, some carrying flags and rifles, searching for the aviator after authorities offered a bounty for information.