What we do — and don’t — know about the operation to rescue the US airman

By Sophie Tanno

(CNN) — “WE GOT HIM!” said Donald Trump, triumphantly announcing the news that US forces rescued a service member missing ever since Iran shot down a fighter jet.

The bold rescue of the airman caught behind enemy lines is welcome news for the US leader who is facing increasing pressure over the war, which has sent energy prices soaring and spilled across the region.

The precise details of the astonishing operation have yet to emerge. Here’s what we know so far — and what we don’t.

What do we know?

The high-stakes search began after an F-15E aircraft was shot down over Iran on Friday.

The first crew member was rescued alive shortly after the crash but in the hours that followed there was little news about the fate of the other crew member.

Then, early on Sunday, Trump announced a successful mission to rescue them.

Touting the operation as “the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” Trump said “dozens of aircraft” were involved.

“WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!”

The second service member, a colonel, sustained injuries, according to Trump, however he added he will be “just fine.” No American troops were killed or wounded during the rescue, he added.

Mick Ryan, a senior fellow for military studies at the Lowy Institute and a retired major general in the Australian Army, said it was a feat no one in the world could really pull off “like the US military has.”

What don’t we know?

Beyond the information Trump gave, the precise details of the rescue remain unclear.

We don’t know exactly where it happened, for example, or how the crew member was able to evade capture for so long. According to CNN’s chief security analyst Jim Sciutto, the airman made contact with US military as early as Friday.

Iran’s military said US forces used an abandoned airstrip to conduct the operation. The US is yet to confirm this but CNN has used satellite images to identify an area near where images on Iranian state media said showed the wreckage of aircraft.

Neither of the two crew member’s identities have been made public. Trump said the US military had been monitoring the second member’s location 24 hours a day, and “diligently planning for his rescue.”

What is Iran saying?

Iran’s military had launched their own operation to find the crew member, and a bounty was offered for anyone helping capture them.

Since the news broke, state media has been trying to undercut a triumphant moment for Trump, with outlets flat out denying that the US had rescued its missing service member.

State media shared images of aircraft it said were shot down by Iranian forces. Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has been one of the most strident government voices through the war, shared one the images, commenting, “if the United States gets three more victories like this, it will be utterly ruined.”

There has been no confirmation from the US it lost aircraft and CNN has appoached the military for comment.

What does this mean for the war?

The rescue of the airman will be relief to an American public who are increasingly questioning the war.

Trump called on all Americans to unite in pride over the mission. He described it as “a moment that ALL Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else, should be proud of and united around.”

The rescue spares the US potential messy hostage negotiations that may have occurred if the US airman had been captured by Iran. The regular sight of US citizens paraded in Iran was disastrous for former President Jimmy Carter.

However any boost Trump receives could be short lived.

That Iran was able to shoot down an advanced US jet showed Iran’s continuing capabilities despite intense US and Israeli strikes.

Monday meanwhile sees a final deadline issued to Iran by Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face “all hell,” so it remains unclear how long the war will go on for.

CNN’s Tim Lister, Danya Gainor, Jessie Yeung and Kit Maher contributed reporting.

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