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U.S. special operations forces rescued the second crew member from a downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran after a \u201cheavy firefight,\u201d successfully extracting both airmen and all rescue personnel from the country, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n
U.S. officials told<\/a> Axios<\/span><\/span><\/em> and Fox News<\/span><\/span><\/em> the high-risk combat search-and-rescue mission recovered the weapons systems officer more than a day after the aircraft was shot down, concluding a complex operation that unfolded behind enemy lines.<\/p>\n Officials described the shootdown as a \u201cworst-case scenario,\u201d with U.S. forces racing to recover the crew before Iranian units could capture them.<\/p>\n The second crew member was located on Saturday, triggering a rescue effort as Iranian forces, including elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also raced to the area to locate the downed airman.<\/p>\n U.S. air assets conducted strikes to prevent Iranian forces from closing in, while special operations units on the ground executed a layered extraction under fire.<\/p>\n The weapons systems officer had evaded capture after ejecting alongside the pilot, using Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training to move away from the wreckage and take cover on elevated terrain while activating an emergency beacon, according to reporting cited<\/a> by Fox News<\/em>.<\/p>\n