US rescues missing crew member from jet downed in Iran, Trump says

U.S. forces have rescued an American service member who had been missing since an F-15 fighter jet crashed in Iran on Friday, President Donald Trump said early Sunday.

“This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” Trump wrote in a social media post just after midnight Washington time.

Trump said that the aviator is injured but “will be just fine,” adding that the rescue involved “dozens of aircraft” and that U.S. had been monitoring his location “24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.”

A frantic U.S. search-and-rescue operation unfolded after the crash of the jet on Friday, as Iran promised a reward for anyone who turned in the “enemy pilot.” A second crew member was rescued earlier.