US Boots on Ground in Iran?

The United States pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran, plucking the pilot from behind enemy lines before setting off a complicated extraction of the second service member who hid deep in the mountains as Tehran called for Iranians to help capture him. The United States relied on dozens of aircraft, hundreds of personnel, secret CIA technology and a dose of subterfuge to rescue a two-man fighter jet crew downed deep inside Iran. Now, a report has emerged that suggests that special operators were part of the rescue mission. Special operators were part of the teams sent in to retrieve the pilot and weapon systems officer of a downed fighter jet, reported Associated Press, citing US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military operation. During a briefing Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "Our special operators, pilots and support crews performed with near perfection under fire," but he stopped short of confirming that US troops set foot on Iranian soil. Notably, Hegseth and US President Donald Trump have said they haven’t ruled out boots on the ground but also repeatedly argued that the conflict was limited inUS forces rescued the pilot within hours of the F-15E Strike Eagle going down late Thursday, surging helicopters, midair refuelers and fighter aircraft deep into Iran after confirming his location, Trump said in a valedictory news conference at the White House, describing the military operation in an unusual level of detail. The second aviator aboard the aircraft — the weapons systems officer — was rescued nearly two days later. “This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” Trump wrote early Sunday on his Truth Social platform. “WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! At the presser, Trump turned to Gen. Dan Caine, (chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), and asked, "How many men did you send altogether, approximately, for the operation?" Caine equivocated, responding, "Uhhh, I’d love to keep that a secret, Mr. President.""OK, well, we are," Trump continued. "But I will tell you — the number, I’ll keep it a secret, but it was hundreds."