r/AskThe_Donald

https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/2040650060187267378

https://www.axios.com/2026/04/05/iran-f15-crew-member-rescued

A senior Trump administration official told me that prior to locating the weapons systems officer and the U.S. military rescue operation, the CIA first launched a deception campaign spreading word inside Iran that U.S. forces had already found him and were moving him on the ground for exfiltration out of the country.

The official said the CIA used its unique capabilities to search for - and find - the weapons systems officer. “This was the ultimate needle in a haystack but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA’s capabilities”, the official said.

According to the official the CIA immediately shared the pilot’s exact location with the Pentagon, the U.S. military and The White House.

The President ordered an immediate rescue mission, which the Pentagon executed, with the CIA continuing to provide real time information in support of this mission, the official said.