There is a new, more coherent post now that the news that the pilot is safe has been confirmed.
SO FAR ONLY AL JAZEERA has confirmed this. Says it came from US government official.
BREAKING: A US official tells Al Jazeera both crew members from a downed F-15E in Iran have been recovered after a “heavy firefight,” but the rescue operation is ongoing as teams attempt to safely exfiltrate from Iran. pic.twitter.com/GKaRWpBHbm
— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) April 5, 2026
🚨Al -Jazeera claims a US Government Official confirmed the rescue of second crew member of downed F15E pic.twitter.com/h1diX7739V
— Breaking X (@BreakingXAlerts) April 5, 2026
Would be nice to have a better source.
PRIOR POSTS:
Reports are bouncing around X that the Weapons System Officer has been recovered after a dramatic battle in southern Iran.
No confirmation yet from the Central Command, so take these reports with a large grain of salt. All the reports seem to trace back to a well-regarded milblogger and former Green Beret, who supposedly has an impeccable record.
The second F-15 crew member has been rescued alive and is save.
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) April 4, 2026
Massive gunfight at the site of the rescue. Great news, and can't wait to hear more details. https://t.co/XtNBK6254h
What doesn't appear to be in dispute is that a battle has taken place near the site where the downed F-15 crewmember was hiding.
Large number of locals are rushing to the mountains area where apparent US SOF CSAR is ongoing for remaining pilot of downed F-15. pic.twitter.com/2YbgkdiBDM
— Aldin 🇧🇦 (@aldin_aba) April 4, 2026
‼️ NEW:
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) April 5, 2026
Crowds are gathering outside a hospital in Dehdasht, Iran amid reports of clashes between U.S. rescue teams and regime forces near the suspected crash site of a downed F-15, as the search continues for the missing American airman. 
Stay connected, follow @MOSSADil. pic.twitter.com/u29uBwuPWm
The IRGC has reported Iranian deaths and has warned its citizens to stay away from the area. Iran is also claiming that the US was bombing to kill its pilot rather than have him captured, which is obviously crap.
💢 Iranian state-linked Tasnim News, citing a military source, claims U.S. forces are bombing areas in southwest Iran where a missing pilot may be located, alleging Washington has “lost hope” of recovery and is attempting to kill him.
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) April 4, 2026
The source added: “We will not announce… https://t.co/8ekPo9msHr
Iranian state-linked Tasnim News, citing a military source, claims U.S. forces are bombing areas in southwest Iran where a missing pilot may be located, alleging Washington has “lost hope” of recovery and is attempting to kill him.
The source added: “We will not announce whether the pilot is in our custody or not,” and accused the U.S. of “not telling the full truth” about the first crew members U.S. claims was recovered.
Separately, Iranian officials reported U.S.-Israeli strikes and at least 4 killed during the recovery operations:
➤ In Dehdasht, a city in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southwest Iran, 4 people were killed and 1 wounded after a telecommunications tower and the Kooh Siah broadcasting center were struck, according to provincial officials.
➤ The site is part of local communications infrastructure, suggesting the strike targeted media or signal capabilities rather than a conventional military base, though authorities said details remain under review.
I shouldn't have to say, Iranian media reports mean little, but for what it's worth, there it is. It does seem to confirm that a battle is either ongoing or has taken place. Drop Site News is a pro-Islamist site and heavily anti-American.
🚨 BREAKING: Video from Southwestern Iran appears to show civilians and security forces rushing towards the area believed to be where the US military is attempting to rescue our F-15 crew member
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 5, 2026
No update on our WSO’s status yet.
It’s a race against the clock. pic.twitter.com/ZNUvqsGRIp
Israel is known to massively bomb around an area where one of their pilots is stranded in order to keep enemy troops from reaching them, so the bombing is likely to drive away people trying to capture our WSO.
There's enough out there to confirm the rescue op is in progress. Nothing confirmed to say if the successfully rescued the WSO. Those USAF CSAR guys are the best, and no resource will be withheld from them. The entire CAOC staff right now is barely breathing watching the feed.… pic.twitter.com/mzoj7BfSCm
— Michael Kelly (@Mkellytx2) April 5, 2026
🚨 Reports from locals speaking to Iranian media indicate that Islamic Republic forces are transferring large numbers of dead and wounded IRGC troops, along with Basij terrorists, from Black Mountain to Dehdasht Hospital.
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) April 5, 2026
The casualties reportedly follow USAF strikes targeting…
Reports from locals speaking to Iranian media indicate that Islamic Republic forces are transferring large numbers of dead and wounded IRGC troops, along with Basij terrorists, from Black Mountain to Dehdasht Hospital.
The casualties reportedly follow USAF strikes targeting IRGC Ground Forces that advanced during an active U.S. rescue operation for a downed pilot.
Significant IRGC losses are being reported.
That's all I have for now. Will update as warranted.
UPDATE from another person in the Special Forces community:
The missing WSO from the shot-down USAF F-15E is now safe and back in American hands. An officer involved in monitoring the CSAR in southern Iran describing the aviator’s incredible tenacity: “He evaded up a 7k ridge. They’ve been schwackin’ dudes chasing him all day. Was nuts.”…
— Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) April 5, 2026
MORE UNCONFIRMED BUT INTERESTING REPORTS:
Images just coming in from the mountains of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad in Iran: plainclothes (Basij) forces of the Islamic Republic (according to the person who films), deployed to search for the American pilot were killed in the operation.
— Afshin Ismaeli (@Afshin_Ismaeli) April 5, 2026
At least three IRGC personnel have… pic.twitter.com/2qA2KuSDiM
Independent Journalist Jack Murphy Claims That The
— Kagan.Dunlap (@Kagan_M_Dunlap) April 5, 2026
F-15E WSO Has Been Recovered Alive. So Far None Of This Has Been Confirmed By Any Official Sources Or DOW Officials. pic.twitter.com/Y6AwwQyYxc
Another claim of rescue from an APPARENTLY reasonably reliable source. Again, grain of salt.
The second F-15 crew member has been rescued alive and is save.
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) April 5, 2026
Massive gunfight at the site of the rescue.
I’ve been waiting patiently for a video of the gunfight but it’s taking a while. I will post it the moment it is authenticated. https://t.co/xEKM0s7QQz
How Grok describes the sources:
"Grok info on these two
— Shirion Collective (@ShirionOrg) April 5, 2026
These two journalists are cross-referencing the same high-level operational sources.
No major contradictions or debunkings have appeared in the last few hours.
The WSO rescue claim (with the evasion + firefight details) is currently sourced exclusively…
THIS IS THE OFFICIAL RECRUITING PAGE OF THE SPECIAL WARFARE RECRUITING for the Air Force:
But apparently the Air Force is not owning that report and says it is not them:
Via @ellee_watson of @CBSNews - U.S. Air Force official says this account does not speak for the U.S. Air Force and is not owned by the service. https://t.co/F98zJ2Qpzw
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) April 5, 2026
🚨 JUST IN: The US Air Force is DISCREDITING a post made by a supposed USAF recruiter account, which claimed our second F-15 crew member was successfully rescued, per CBS
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 5, 2026
“This account does not speak for the U.S.
Air Force and is not owned by the service,” the USAF official said pic.twitter.com/Kixun8IXZS
A lot of rumors are circulating about the F-15 weapon systems officer being searched for in Iran, including several relatively well sourced accounts and the official Instagram account of US Air Force Special Warfare Recruiting who have reported that the officer has been rescued.…
— Tzvi Joffre (@TzviJoffre) April 5, 2026
A lot of rumors are circulating about the F-15 weapon systems officer being searched for in Iran, including several relatively well sourced accounts and the official Instagram account of US Air Force Special Warfare Recruiting who have reported that the officer has been rescued. It's really important to stress that there's been no official confirmation outside of the recruiting Instagram account, which is an odd place to be the first official confirmation of such news, so it's worth taking with a decent grain of salt for now. If it is true there'll be more widespread official confirmations soon enough. With anything in this conflict, it's important to exercise a ton of caution with reports like these.
BREAKING - Iranian state-affiliated channels are now confirming mass casualties in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran, as American and allied forces engage insurgents while attempting to reach the downed F-15 crew member. pic.twitter.com/RdbVymGyaS
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) April 5, 2026
🚨🇮🇷🇺🇸 BREAKING: Basij forces reportedly found bodies of their own fighters killed by guided rockets from a U.S. A-10 near the house where the second F-15E crew member was sheltering.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 5, 2026
Reports unconfirmed.pic.twitter.com/sBF5tHolYL https://t.co/wMBfUTW2l8
ANOTHER WELL CONNECTED PERSON SAYING HE IS RESCUED.
The WSO from the downed F-15E has been recovered from inside Iran. That regime just got reminded the hard way who we are.
— Sarah Adams (@sarahadams) April 5, 2026
Thank you to everyone who stayed patient, refused to spread enemy propaganda, kept the faith, and took a moment to pray. This is what it looks like when we… https://t.co/SzbFoBNrmb
It's hard to know whether all these people are just confirming each other, or whether there are independent confirmations. A congressman has tweeted it out. A fair number of people who could know say the rescue was successful. The Special Forces Recruiting Instagram page is bragging about success.
It would not be a surprise for Centcom to take a bit of time for any number of reasons, not the least of which is informing the family first.
But then again, this could all be a game of telephone.
ELISE STEPHANIK thinks they got him.
The breaking reports of the safe rescue of the F-15 WSO are a profound relief to every American. God Bless this brave servicemember who evaded capture in the most challenging circumstances and God Bless the special operations forces who put their lives on the line for this…
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) April 5, 2026
The breaking reports of the safe rescue of the F-15 WSO are a profound relief to every American. God Bless this brave servicemember who evaded capture in the most challenging circumstances and God Bless the special operations forces who put their lives on the line for this dangerous rescue mission.
It is a deeply engrained patriotic value that Americans will to go to the ends of the earth (and beyond!) and do whatever it takes including risking it all to bring their fellow Americans home.
Happy Easter, indeed. ✝️
She is now the second congressman to say that he is safe.
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