President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. ET today to discuss the successful rescue of an American airman whose F-15 was shot down over Iran.
The mission, which the President monitored from the Situation Room throughout the weekend, concluded Sunday when the injured weapons systems officer was extracted from remote mountain terrain.
The airman spent more than 24 hours evading capture while navigating the Iranian wilderness. Despite sustaining injuries during the shoot-down, he managed to climb to a 7,000-foot ridgeline to find a position where he could be reached.
During his time on the run, his only equipment for survival and self-defense consisted of a pistol, a handheld radio, and a tracking beacon.
READ: “OPEN THE F—IN’ STRAIT”: Trump Threatens To Send Iran To “Hell” On Tuesday At 8:00 PM
A massive search effort was launched immediately following the crash. Sources said that while hundreds of special operations forces, military personnel, and intelligence officers were involved in the operation, it was the CIA that ultimately pinpointed the officer’s exact location.
Once the coordinates were confirmed, they were relayed to military teams who carried out the recovery.
The 1 p.m. briefing at the White House is expected to provide more specific details on the airman’s current condition and the logistical hurdles of the recovery mission. For now, the administration has highlighted the coordination between various intelligence and military branches that led to the officer’s safe return.
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