Ron Oyler

🚨 BREAKING via NYT: An Air Force officer whose fighter jet had been shot down in Iran was rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces in a risky Saturday night mission that took commandos deep into enemy territory. A senior U.S. military official described the mission to rescue the airman as one of the most challenging and complex in the history of U.S. special operations. The mission to save the crew member employed hundreds of special forces troops, dozens of U.S. warplanes, helicopters, and cyber, space and other intelligence capabilities. U.S. attack aircraft dropped bombs and opened fire on Iranian convoys to keep them away from the area where the airman was hiding. As U.S. forces converged on the downed airman, a firefight erupted, two former senior military officials briefed on the operation said. The airman was equipped with a beacon and a secure communication device for coordinating with forces mounting the rescue. A senior U.S. military official described the mission to rescue the airman as one of the most challenging and complex in the history of U.S. special operations. In a final twist after the weapons officer was rescued, two transport planes that would carry the commandos and the airmen to safety got stuck at a remote base in Iran. Commanders decided to fly in three new planes to extract all the U.S. military personnel and the airmen, and they blew up the two disabled planes rather than have them fall into Iranian hands.