Two USAF officials successfully rescued after planes were shot down by Iran's jihadists

Two airmen had the misfortune of having their planes shot down over Iran, but thankfully, both were saved:

U.S. special operations forces rescued the second crew member from a downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran after a “heavy firefight,” successfully extracting both airmen and all rescue personnel from the country, according to multiple reports.

U.S. officials told Axios and Fox News 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.

Officials described the shootdown as a “worst-case scenario,” with U.S. forces racing to recover the crew before Iranian units could capture them.

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.

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.

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 by Fox News.

It's very fortunate they were rescued. What's also impressive is that Israeli forces took part in the rescue operation:

The IDF commando units Shaldag and Sayeret Matkal participated in the American operation to rescue the navigator whose plane was downed in Iran on Friday, according to a report today (Sunday) by the opposition channel “Iran International."

Earlier, Fox News reported that Israel was involved in the rescue operation by sharing intelligence with the United States and by halting Iranian strikes in the area during the hours when the navigator was missing.

This was an operation by US forces that operated on the ground inside Iran to rescue the navigator. It is the first time during the war that the United States has deployed ground forces.

According to the report, the navigator used his “Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape" (SERE) training to avoid capture. He hid on an elevated ridge after moving on foot away from the crash site and activated a distress transmitter. He survived with only a handgun and managed to evade potential captors.

While it's still sadly possible there could be casualties for as long as the war goes on, this is a miraculous rescue mission for now, and if the Federalist/Daily Caller/Tucker Carlson crowd are smart, they won't be attacking the Trump administration or any army personnel over what the jihadist enemy in Iran is guilty of.