United States President Donald Trump has revealed details of a high-risk rescue mission to recover two pilots of an F-15 fighter jet shot down by Iran in mountainous terrain. Trump said that the US military personnel involved in the rescue mission of F-15 pilots faced gunfire at very close range during the rescue mission in Iran.
Trump told reporters at a White House press briefing that 170 aircraft were used in the operation to recover the first crew member and another 155 in the second rescue mission. The US President added that two transport planes got stuck in sand and had to be blown up to avoid capture by Tehran military.
“The US military personnel faced gunfire at a very close range during rescue in Iran,” he said, adding that the military “blew up the whole place”.
Donald Trump also threatened to jail the journalist who first reported on rescue operation of airman in Iran. He also demanded that the journalist who first reported it to reveal their source.
“The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say, and that doesn’t last long,” Trump said, without revealing the name of the reporter or the news organisation. But he did call the person a “a sick person.”
Trump, however, said the leak on the US rescue mission tipped off the Iranians, endangering the officer and his rescuers.
