WASHINGTON: US forces carried out a high-risk rescue of a downed American airman inside Iran, using a deception campaign and a complex military operation to extract him from hostile territory, according to multiple media reports.
The mission followed the downing of a US F-15E fighter jet over Iran, leaving one crew member stranded for nearly two days as Iranian forces searched for him.
US intelligence officials launched a deception effort to buy time, spreading false information that the airman had already been located and was being moved out of the country, Politico reported, citing senior administration officials.
“The CIA spread word inside Iran that US forces had already found the airman and were exfiltrating him out of the country by ground, ” the report said. The tactic aimed to divert Iranian search teams and allow US forces to identify the airman’s exact location.
“The feint bought time for the CIA to locate the downed airman and quietly relay his precise whereabouts to the White House and Pentagon, ” Politico added.