President Donald Trump praised the U.S. military for a successful rescue operation involving two Air Force service members, while issuing a stern warning to Iran that their entire nation could face severe consequences. This statement was made on Tuesday night.
In a powerful display of military prowess, the President described how U.S. forces skillfully and precisely executed the mission. “Our military descended on the area, engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, eliminated all threats, and safely exited Iran without suffering any casualties,” Trump announced at a Monday afternoon briefing at the White House, surrounded by senior officials.
The press conference, focused on the situation in Iran, followed the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, where Trump took a moment to commend the heroic efforts involved in rescuing the two downed Air Force members.
Trump detailed the ordeal of the weapons systems officer (WSO), who was retrieved on Sunday. “He scaled cliffs, despite significant injuries, managed to contact his platoon, tended to his own wounds, and reached out to American forces for help,” the President recounted.
The pilot had already been rescued by special forces on Friday, the same day their F-15E aircraft was brought down.
The WSO endured nearly two days of survival behind enemy lines, having gone down on Good Friday and remaining stranded until his rescue on Easter Sunday.
‘God was watching us,’ the President said. ‘We were in Easter territory,’ he remarked.
Trump described an all-hands-on-deck operation that employed 155 aircraft – including 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft ‘and more.’
The President said more aircraft was brought in for the mission than was needed to conclude it.
‘We blew up the old planes,’ he described . ‘We blew them up to smithereens.’
President Donald Trump lauded the operation to rescue two downed US service members in Iran over the weekend. ‘God was watching us,’ Trump said of the miraculous operation
Trump warned that the entire country of Iran could be ‘taken out’ in one night, adding that it could be on Tuesday
Press packed the room waiting with bated breath to hear from the President about the operation
The President noted how the weapons systems officer was able to activate a ‘beeper’ that showed US forces where to search for him, leading to the airman’s rescue and likely saving the soldier’s life. ‘It was like finding a needle in a haystack,’ Trump said.
The downed airman first contacted his US counterparts by radioing in: ‘God is good,’ Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recounted, adding ‘we leave no man behind.’
The callsign of the plane was ‘Dude 44,’ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine said, and a horde of aircraft were sent in within hours to rescue the pilot.
Caine celebrated the swift recovery of the pilot on Friday and the immense planning that went in to rescue the WSO.
Caine noted that a special operations force fought their way into save the downed WSO early on Sunday morning, even into the morning light.
‘We will always bring overwhelming skill and firepower,’ the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs added.
When Trump was asked how many servicemembers were involved in the mission, Caine interjected: ‘I’d love to keep that a secret.’
‘OK, well … but I will tell you the number. I’ll keep it a secret. But it was hundreds and hundreds of these people,’ the President responded.
At the top of the briefing, Trump also chided an unnamed media outlet for reporting that there was a pilot that survived the crash, tipping off Iranians that there was a target they could chase.
‘We have to find that leaker, because that’s a sick person. Probably didn’t realize the extent of how bad it was. I can’t imagine that person did, but we’re going to find out.’
‘It’s national security and the person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say and that doesn’t last long,’ the President added.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request to identify the reporter mentioned.
Trump also threatened to unleash hell on Iran on Tuesday should it not strike a deal with the US to avoid further destruction.
‘The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,’ the President said, adding fuel to his previous threat that he’d target Iran’s infrastructure.
This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated.
