Tehran [Iran], April 5 (ANI): Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, on Sunday said the United States suffered a “bitter defeat” in southern Isfahan after President Donald Trump announced the rescue of a second F-15 crew member missing after Iran downed the jet.
Trump hailed the mission as the “most daring” search-and-rescue operation for the US military and said the government would “not leave a warfighter behind.” Iran, however, called the episode a victory, saying it had shot down a C-130-class aircraft involved in the rescue.
“The heroic operations of Iranian forces against US aggressors in southern Isfahan reveal the hollow nature of the American military and the humiliating failure of its forces,” Zolfaghari said, according to Press TV. “Trump tries to justify the bitter defeat of his feeble army by creating confusion for public opinion.” He added that Iran had warned its forces would repel any invader and that the “decisive victory” in southern Isfahan demonstrated that resolve.
Trump, in a social media post, said US forces had retrieved the crew member, who sustained injuries, and described the operation as a high-risk success. He said the military sent “dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World” for the second mission after local Iranian groups had reportedly targeted two Black Hawk helicopters. Trump wrote that two US pilots were rescued separately deep in enemy territory without any American killed or wounded, and he praised US air dominance.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had shot down a US aircraft taking part in the rescue. Iran’s Fars news agency shared a photograph showing smoke rising from a field, reported Al Jazeera.
Both the US and Iran were conducting search operations for the missing crew member. During those operations, Iranian tribesmen reportedly opened fire on American helicopters, CNN said. (ANI)
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