Benjamin Netanyahu Praises U.S. Rescue Mission of Downed Pilot, Highlights Unprecedented Cooperation
In a post on X, Netanyahu said he personally spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump to congratulate him on what he described as a “bold decision” and a “perfectly executed” mission.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday publicly lauded the successful U.S. military operation that rescued both crew members of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over southwestern Iran on April 3.
In a post on X, Netanyahu said he personally spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump to congratulate him on what he described as a “bold decision” and a “perfectly executed” mission. “The President expressed his appreciation for Israel's help. I am deeply proud that our cooperation on and off the battlefield is unprecedented, and that Israel could contribute to saving a brave American warrior,” Netanyahu wrote.
The two crew members faced a harrowing ordeal after their aircraft was hit. The pilot ejected and was rescued within seven hours in broad daylight by U.S. military helicopters, despite intense Iranian fire that also struck a rescue helicopter and an A-10 Warthog providing cover. The A-10 pilot was successfully recovered from the Persian Gulf.
Meanwhile, the weapons systems officer (WSO), described as a “highly respected Colonel,” remained missing for nearly 48 hours, taking shelter in a mountain crevice in the remote Zagros Mountains of Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad region. A massive joint operation involving Navy SEAL Team 6, Army Delta Force, and the CIA successfully extracted the “seriously wounded” officer early Sunday morning local time.
The operation marks one of the most complex rescue missions in recent U.S. military history and underscores the close coordination between Israel and the United States in high-risk operations.